Royal Engagement
by iheartliamhemsworth
Summary: "You know, we've been engaged to be married since we were three, and those portraits don't do you any justice." She blushes a deep rose color, "They don't do you justice either." She whispers, fiddling with the ends of her hair. (Tumblr Prompt)
1. Chapter 1: Part 1

**Royal Engagement  
(Gale/Madge)  
(Prompt)**

 **"** **we've been engaged to be married since we were three but this is the first time we've met and your portraits really don't do you justice"**

 **A/N: this is a prompt I got from tumblr that Hawtsee asked me to do. It's been on tumblr for a while. And since NurseKelly said yes yes yes to making it a full-fledged fic...here it is!**

* * *

In a faraway place known as Capitola, Margret (Madge) Undersee was resting on her silk covered bed with the recent _Cosmopolitan_ magazine laid across one of her pillows. It was around 11 in the morning and Princess Madge had yet to get out of bed. And no one was forcing her today because her parents were away on business (more like scoping out her future husband for any flaws) and the employees wouldn't dare to wake her unless it was an emergency.

So when her trusty butler Thomas knocks on her door, a small pit of anger boils in her stomach. She had been planning on wasting her time today; she hadn't had a day off since the Christmas season.

"Sorry to bother you, Princess, but you got a package in the mail from you know who…" Thom raises his eyebrows suggestively, a warm smile filling up his entire face. The anger that resigned in Madge's stomach quickly vanished at the sound of a package. Her own lips lifted in a smile as Thomas ducks back out the door and slides in a large cardboard box.

Madge scrambles off her bed and kneels on the floor in front of the large box. She lifts her head up and grins at Thom, excitement lighting up every feature of her face. Madge has been receiving packages since she was 12 years old. Inside each box would hold something new and different from her soon to be husband. And even after all these years, the excitement and giddiness of the little girl's joy never left her every time she would receive one.

Crown Prince Gale Hawthorne was an interesting person to Madge. She has never met him before except in the pictures he sent in every box. She always found that he had an interesting view on life and love and just everything. And he had an eye for art, much like her cook's son, Peeta. (They would get along, she decides.) Gale loved photography in the same way Peeta loved painting and drawing. Gale always sent some of his latest photos; some were pictures with him in it and some were not. She felt like she traveled with him, even if it was just a beautiful picture of his backyard at Christmas time.

Thom hands Madge his Swiss Army knife, blade already extended. She tears open the box, quickly handing Thom back the knife and folding out the flaps. Inside the box laid canvas pictures of outdoor landscapes – a lot of a forest that she knew was basically in his backyard. She flips over everyone until she finds the letter she was looking for taped to the back. She sets it aside on her desk for now as her hand dive back into the box, grasping a white envelope. This is what she looks for every time.

Inside, Polaroid pictures were stuffed in. She took out a handful of the hundreds and shuffled through them. This is the place she would find him. He had a way of sneaking into images without taking the main focus off whatever was around him, but it was here that Madge found herself surrounded by the only focus – him. She had a dire need to meet him after she looks through them. She wanted to know what made him take such beautiful pictures and how he knew what to take pictures of.

He had a chiseled face, always clean cut and smooth. Never a beard hair in sight. His hair was _always_ messy in his pictures, never the perfectly styled style he wore to all the balls and dinners. In his pictures, he was himself and she loved that more than the man she saw on magazine covers like _Cosmo_. They didn't accurately describe the man the way he did himself. They always had him come off sexy (well he was), not the down to earth, extremely grounded, big brother that he actually was. That's why the pictures were her favorite part of every package.

Thom shuffles through the box quietly, making sure nothing was going to hurt her. He finds a plastic canister of hot chocolate. He slides the lid off the can and the strong scene of hot cocoa and peppermint fills the room. It was something Seamlyn had that Capitola did not. It was a cheaper way (Seamlyn didn't have the same financial stability as Capitola does) to sell the real stuff. Tea came in bags, hot chocolate in powder, orange juice wasn't readily available but they most definitely had oranges. And Madge always found them the sweetest ones, too. They were also included in the package.

"Why does he always send you food? Does he not think we feed you here?" Thom chuckles low under his breath, still smelling the peppermint hot chocolate.

Madge laughs, "He sends them because he knows I like them and we do not have them here. It's one of the thing I looks forward to in this marriage – all the exotic foods that we don't have."

Thom shakes his head slowly while sliding the lid back onto the can and taking out another item from the box. It was hand drawn picture of a blonde princess with a taller dark haired prince beside her. She knew they were royalty by the crowns that adorned their heads and the jewels that they wore. Underneath was a child's messy handwriting and below that a neater, boyish handwriting. It read: Princess Madge and Prince Gale soon to be married. And below that read in boyish handwriting: she's getting a little too carried away just thinking about it. She's already counting down the days.

A gentle smile tugs on Madge's lips. Posy, Gale's younger sister, has always like Madge despite the fact that all she knows about her is she has blonde hair and blue eyes and was _a lot_ shorter than Gale. The wedding wasn't even until another year or so.

And the last thing that was left in the box was a glass jar filled with alcohol from his two younger brothers, Rory and Vick. At Madge's age, in Seamlyn, she would be allowed to drink. So as a gift for her birthday, the boys sent some of Seamlyn's finest wine.

"Thank you, Thomas…for bring the package." He nods, taking that as cue to leave. He shuts the door softly behind him.

Madge collects the items back into the box before she springs to her feet, eager to read his latest letter. She won't answer back because she father permits it, but she loves that he continues to write. She felt like she knew him through his letters and she wished she could do the same for him.

His letter reads:

 _Dearest Madge,_

 _I have a lot to tell you since my last letter. But I'll start with this: I still wait for your letter every day. I'm starting to feel like I'm annoying you, writing so many letters, I mean. Now, I don't know if you will receive this before your parent's departure, but if you do, could you send with them a picture of yourself. The one I have is god awfully old and you still had a child's chubby cheeks and long curly hair. I had been informed that you have changed drastically since that photo was taken and it slowly killing me as to what you look like. I imagine you are more beautiful than that silly old picture entails, but I have no way of knowing! I laugh as I write this, but I feel the playing field is uneven. You know what I look like now with every package I send, but I still have no way of knowing what you truly look like. You parents can tell me a thousand times just how beautiful you are, but I don't know if I can believe them until I see one for myself._

 _As I said before, I imagine you are very beautiful and even if you weren't I would still love you just the same. I wait until the day I will meet you in person…too bad that is so far away._

 _With my deepest curiosity,_

 _Gale_

If only she had received the package a day earlier. She would have sent him a picture. Of course she would have to take one and who knows if she could get that done without an entire photo-shoot taking place. Effie would have a hay day with that. But as you can see, her parents have already left. But maybe she could send a picture…

"Thom!" she yells, jumping out of bed and scrambling for her door. She runs right into Thom's chest.

"What is the matter, Princess?"

"Can you take a picture of me?" Silence fills the air for a moment, a look of bewilderment settles on Thom's face. "Well, can you?"

"What for, Princess?"

"I would like to send one to Gale…" upon Thom's look of question, she adds: "He sends me so many with him in it, I just want to return the favor."

"Princess, I don't know…your father…"

"Oh screw my father! Just take one for me and please keep it on the down low…" she lowers her voice and glance around Thom to make sure no servant or Effie was around to eavesdrop and get her master plan destroyed. "I can't have my father finding out. Please, Thom, this is important."

"Well…alright, but nothing _out of the ordinary_ , Princess." Madge swats at Thom's chest and he laughs. She tries hard not to smile but she can't help the small tug of her lips. Sometimes Thom could get under her skin. "Hurry, and remember to be secretive. No one but us should know about this!" he rolls his eyes but heads down the long set of winding stair to get one of the cameras the Undersee's owned.

Madge rushes off to her closet the second Thom's back is out of sight. She filters through her many dresses desperately searching for _the perfect dress_ to wear. She wants to look her best for her soon to be husband, and it seems that dress is missing.

A knock sounds on the door, Madge's Aunt May peeks her head around the door, "So I heard you're sending a picture to _the_ Prince Gale with his luscious hair and strong jaw…oh!" she pretends to faint just thinking about Gale. Madge. Has. Never. Said. Anything. Like. That. To. Anyone. About. Gale. Hawthorne. But still, her cheeks tinge a bright pink.

"Thom! What happened to the down low!?" she yells, knowing he would behind the still partly opened door.

"Sorry, she's deceptive, I'm telling you!" he apologizes through the wood.

Aunt May flicks her hair behind her, "All in a day's work!" Madge rolls her eyes, "Now, down to business. If you're going to send a picture to the boy you'll be making babies with, you're going to have to have _the perfect dress_. Am I right, or am I right?"

"As always, correct." Madge rubs her hands together, anticipating the big reveal of some really gorgeous dress. She was only a little embarrassment by the implications of her aunt.

"Drumroll, please, Thom!" Thom bangs on the back of the door, pushing it open to reveal a gorgeous royal blue, bejeweled gown in May's hands. Madge gasps, bringing her hands up to her mouth. In May's hands was a floor length, fitted gown that would make Madge's already baby blues pop like the ocean outside her window. It would accent her ladylike curves and make her bust look rightly proportions – not too big and not too small. From the waist up was covered in glimmering jewels that caught the light just right and it was like it was smiling at its own beauty. The neckline swooped low on her breasts and the straps would wrap around her arms. And there was a mid-thigh slit up the one side. Aunt May hands over the dress and pushes Madge off to the bathroom, "Go, go! Put it on!"

Once Madge has the dress on, she couldn't remember a time when she felt more beautiful than she does now. She spins around in front of her mirror for a minute or so. "Madge, come out, I want to see it too!" May yells through the door.

Madge exits and twirls around, the brightest smile gracing her features. She felt like she was wearing the ocean. The dress flows gracefully around her legs and was smooth against her skin. Thom whistles and Madge couldn't help but laugh.

"You look beautiful, Princess." Thom says.

"Thank you." She curtsies, giggling.

"Now come on, we have pictures to take!" May says, holding up one of the cameras Thom grabbed.

They start in the stairwell. She places her fingertips on both sides of the wall, juts out one hip to the right, crossing her one leg across the other – the slit in her dress showcasing her strong, lean legs, and turns her head to the left. She parts her red painted lips – May's touch – and tilted her chin up while they snapped pictures. They moved to the grand staircase with the red and gold carpet, and she poses some more; some standing up, some sitting down.

They end up in the garden with Madge sitting on a bench, looking skyward with her chin in her hand. Thom and May quickly scurry Madge back up to her room so Effie wouldn't have a clue as to what they were doing. May reclines back on Madge's bed, patting the spot next to her for Madge to lie back too. Thom hurries off to develop the photos, all of them eager to see the results.

"So, you really like him?" May questions, a playful smile on her face. When Madge only smiled, she added, "He is quite good looking, much better looking than your Uncle Haymitch!" just than Uncle Haymitch walked in, eyebrow high on his forehead at the sight of Madge's dress.

He scoffs, "I'm hurt, May, _I_ was _much_ better looking than that boy." He smiles. Haymitch could have never competed to Gale's looks now. At least not to Madge, but to Aunt May Haymitch would win every time. They truly were a match made in heaven. Madge hopes her and Gale would be like that too.

…

Her parents were to return in 48 hours. And usually Madge would groan thinking about all the work she would have to do upon their return, like make sure everybody was set for their return and make sure the staff was well aware of how things needed to be done, but this time she couldn't have been giddier. Gale and his family would be coming with her parents. Each set of parents deciding it was about time to two meet in person.

Since she found out the news a week ago, she couldn't help but be bursting with excitement. Aunt May and Effie were _constantly_ with her, and for once, she didn't mind. They _had_ to get every outfit down to perfection. She had to look her best for Gale. Usually she hated dressing up really spectacular for visitors, but for Gale she _wanted_ to look amazing and sexy. She _wanted_ to impress him.

So the three rummaged through her closet and only deemed one outfit acceptable – the blue dress she wore in the photos she express mailed to Gale last week. Effie was on the ball with tape measures and fabrics after that. She takes Madge's measurements a thousand times to make sure she hasn't changed and that it was the correct measurements. You wouldn't want a Princess pulling up her strapless dress all night because the bust was a half an inch too big, now would you? Nope, that's for sure.

Effie scurried off after that to direct the royal designers just what Madge wanted or what she would look amazing in while Madge and Aunt May went shoe shopping! The browsed the aisles look for a pair was black heels with a colored panel on the sides, strappy heels, and a pair of cute little outdoor boots because May was _sure_ Gale would want to take Madge exploring because of his love of the outdoors. And deep down, Madge _really_ wanted that to happen. She _really_ wanted to see him in his element. She definitely wanted to be prepared for it too.

"These are the ones!" May yells, holding up a black 4 inch heel with small reflective colored paneling on the side, and they were just Madge's size. "Try em on!" Madge did and walked around like an expert for a few minutes to make sure she wouldn't trip helpless into her future husband's arms…although that might not be too _bad_. She might actually enjoy it. They pick up a few more pairs of heels (and don't forget the insoles!) before heading out for a quick lunch break before heading back home. Madge had a lot of work to do before her parents return in a few days.

…

"Wow." Someone breathes out as Madge comes down the grand staircase. She gasps and looks up to find the most beautiful boy she has ever seen. Gale. He was here. He was here _early_! His steel eyes rank over her body, his eyes lingering on the way the blue fabric dips at her waist. "Wow." He says again, his cheeks tinging a slight pink color, "Just wow."

She folds a piece of hair behind ear, dipping her head, "Is that all you can say?" she laughs lightly.

He blinks rapidly a few times before speaking, "I mean, just…wow. Yeah I guess that's the only thing I can say." He lets out a short, sweet laugh, "You look _beautiful_ , Madge. You know, we've been engaged to be married since we were three, and those portraits don't do you _any_ justice."

She blushes a deep rose color, "They don't do you justice either." She whispers, fiddling with the ends of her hair. He dips his head to hide the blush that's _burning_ his chest and face right now, but she notices, despite his efforts. "You're early." She states because she wants to hear his voice again. It was deep and _very_ masculine. It shook her to the core, it was extremely sexy – especially with that Seam accent lacing around his every word.

"Your father insisted." He states, his voice was as strong as the wind outside. "It's cold here."

"Oh really?" _God, Madge stops fiddling with your hair and go_ down _there already instead of standing on the stairs like an idiot. He probably thinks you don't like him!_

"Our seasons are opposite." He smirks for some reason, like he's trying not to laugh at an inside joke she wouldn't understand.

"I assume you got my pictures?"

His smirk morphs into a smile of gold, it warms her at the core and makes her feel as light as air, as if she could just soar off like a bird. His teeth were perfectly white, just like in the photos, and they gleamed in the light. She didn't know how it was possible, but seeing his smile _in person_ made him a thousand times sexier than any photo had before. His portraits _really_ didn't do him any justice whatsoever. And she glad that no one else is around to see them. At least now she knows he's smiling because of her and that makes her feel empowered.

He ducks his head again and swings his leg back and taps the toe of his shoe twice on the ground, he tucks his hands in his pockets. This time, when he looks up, he lets his blush show instead of hiding it, "Yes, I got them."

"And?" she angles her body slightly, raising her eyebrows and pushing her shoulders back.

"They were lovely." He states, walking until the toes of his shoes were lined up with the bottom step.

"That's all I get? Lovely? I put a lot of effort into those!" She takes a step up. She's about halfway down them already.

"They were marvelous. _You_ are marvelous." He states, another step up. She wills her blush to stay down but she knows she's as red as a tomato by now. Her chest was burning too.

"You're such a sweet talker, you know that?" she laughs, taking two steps up.

"Oh really?" he takes three steps up.

"Yes. I don't know if I should believe you." Another step.

He swings his body around a few times before singing, "Oh what, oh what can I do to make you believe me?" his smile is so big Madge worries his face will get stuck like that, he could worry the same.

"Prove it." And with that she spins around and runs back up the stairs. She hears his quick footsteps catching up with her slower ones, stupid heels. She reaches the top of stairs before he has her by the elbow. He spins her around and boxes her against the wall; he leans in, his breath hot on her ear and neck.

"Margret Rose Undersee, you are beautiful." His lips brush her ear with each passing word. Mindlessly, her fingers tangle themselves in his suit jacket, drawing him senselessly closer. He pulls back, but not too far because of her grip. "Do you believe me?" his voice is low and gravelly, sending shivers down her back. It was sexy, she'd give him that.

"Yes." She whispers. And maybe she wasn't thinking, or maybe she was, but she pulls him closer until their lips brush. It was light and you could hardly feel it but they both knew it happened. Their toes were tingling and their heads were whirling. Gale takes another chance after her bold move. He dips back down and kisses her again. Her hands wrap around the back of him, gripping his jacket roughly. Soon enough, the little quick kisses turn into long lingering ones, and so on. It progressed until they both were winded and Gale was sure he would faint if she let him go. He felt _so_ good. He was on Cloud 9.

Their eyes strike each other's with an intense intensity. For some reason, heaven and earth seems to be shattering because their worlds were. Their breaths intermixed with each other, mint fresh from the toothpaste they just used. Gale licks his lips and Madge watches the movement slowly. Even after his tongue slips back into his mouth, her eyes stay on his lips. He dips down one more time to peck her on the lips.

He pulls away, extending his hand towards her. "Shall we go to the others?"

"Only if I'm guaranteed to meet Posy."

On the outside, he smirks. On the inside, he melts at her words. "She's is indeed here. And she _dying_ to meet you." He rolls his eyes and she smacks his chest. She slips her hand in his and lets him guide her down the stairs. Of course, he doesn't know the castle, but she loves to see him get frustrated trying to figure it out.

Blowing out a huff of air, his free hand tangles in his hair, sighing, "I could've have sworn I came this way." She giggles. He turns on her, "Oh you think this is funny?" he pokes her in the stomach.

"Yes," she giggles again, he glares, "because it is!"

Silence follows and she could see the gears working in his head as he tries to figure out how to get them out of this mess. He shuffles his feet and keeps his head down, gripping his hair with one hand while the other stays linked to hers. His was warm, but not sweaty, she likes it. She looks him up and down while he thinks. He was really quite handsome. He had medium size shoulders and a tiny waist and hips, but you could see the power in his body. He worked out, that much was obvious. And you could tell he worked hard for his body. He was hard working, she liked that about him. He had a full head a _thick_ hair, dark black hair that was so dark she could swear she was looking at the ocean at midnight. His lips were full and soft – as she already knew. And despite the multiple scars littering his body, he was beautiful and she could tell his soul was too.

He looks back up at her, well more like _down_ at her – he was like _several_ inches taller than her (we'll keep the number a secret for Madge's dignity). "Well, I hate asking for help," he starts, running his fingers through his thick hair again. She found that he did that a lot and she wonders what it would feel like, "but I don't seem to know the way. If you could maybe guide me back, I would appreciate it."

She takes her hand out of his and he almost seems to deflate a little, "And why should I do that?" she's smiling.

"Well," he mimics her stance, "If you don't, you're stuck with only me for the night and possibly then some."

"I don't think that would be too bad." She says quietly. She looks up at him through her eyelashes, sheepishly. A slow smile spreads across his face and has her heart pumping twice as fast. Oh god, the effects this boy had on her. He would be the death of her. She was sure of it.

"Glad to hear." He says just above a whisper.

She takes his hand in hers again and leads him back up the hallway they had traveled down. They turn a few turns here and few turns there before they arrived at the doors of the Great Room, the sounds of their families bursting through the doors. They nod at each other and open the doors.

A little while later they head to the dining room for a delicious meal of soup and fresh bread made by Peeta, the cook's son. Peeta winks at her from across the room before ducking back into the kitchen to finish the desert – chocolate cake with a German chocolate sauce.

Dinner was lovely, but what came after was even sweeter.

…

The two couldn't take their hands off each other. It was months until the wedding, but from how things were going so far, they might just be "married" tonight. They stumbled up the winding steps until they're about halfway up and that's where Madge presses Gale's back into the wall, her hands gliding up confidently up under his suit jacket, a wicked smirk lacing her lips. She takes her hands out of his jacket and grips his hands, pinning them by his ears. His smile widens.

She presses her lips lingeringly against his and reveled in the way a jolt of hot electricity shocked her stomach. His breathing hitches and he slips his wrists out of her grip, letting her hands fall to his shoulders, his hands traveling down her sides until it reach her thighs. His fingers dig into her skin through the dress. Her dress hikes up a few inches as he pulls her closer. They break apart, their breathing mingled as they stare at each other, their eyes dark. She loved the way their breathing patterns were opposite, they chests moving in sync with the others. He stretches his neck out and leaves an open mouth kiss to her throat, then her jaw, then her cheek, then her nose, and finally her temple. She's afraid her smile will be a permanent fixture on her face, but at the moment she can't find it in herself to care.

She tugs on his warm hands, her thumb rubbing across the scar adorning the back of his hand. She leads him up the rest of the stairs to her doorway. She takes out the spare key out of the potted plant next to her door (they had to keep all doors locked when they had visitors) and unsuccessfully tries to put it in the lock because of Gale's warm hands wrapping around her waist and the way he nudges and kisses her neck is driving her insane. She finally gets it in the lock and pulls him in before slamming the door shut and locking it behind them.

Her hands are instantly on him, unbuttoning his jacket and his button-down. His hands hang by his sides as he watches her. Once an inch of skin is revealed from his shirt, she presses hot open mouthed kisses along his skin. He groans deeply in his throat and leans his head against the door, his hands instantly bunching her dress up, pulling it over her head. He helps her with his pants because of all the buttons and ties and soon they're both standing in their undergarments.

And soon enough, Gale has Madge backed up to her bed. His hands grip her bare shoulders, a smile filling his face. He pushes her gently onto her bed. He climbs on top of her, his dog tag landing cold between the valley of her breasts. His kisses were sweet and slow and deep, she could feel his want and love every time their lips brushes gently. And in that moment, that blue dress laying on the ground that had made her feel so beautiful tonight and the day they took the pictures to send to Gale had no comparison to how beautiful she felt now. No pretty dresses or jewels made her feel more beautiful; _he_ made her feel that way. She arched her back and deepens the kiss, but he pulls away. His breath fans out across her face, the soup they ate for dinner still lingering on his breath.

His eyes were intense when he spoke. His words and his body seemed to contradict each other, "Stop, the wedding…no married." He said as he catches his breath. She reaches up and caresses his face; he knew what she was going to say before she said it. He shook his head, "You don't know how much I want this too, but I want to do it the _right_ way…when we're married." He balances on one arm and trails his fingertips of his free hand down her cheek. "Okay?" she nods and he leans down to kiss her sweetly but deeply again.

They might not get "married" tonight, but that didn't stop him from drawing her bare body close and throwing the blanket over them. She buries her face in his chest and smiles. He was right, they should wait. Do it _right_ next time. This she could settle for because he was worth it.

"So, tell me about yourself, Princess." He whispers into her ear, his breath warm and comforting on her ear.

"Well, first off, I _hate_ being called Princess." He chuckles and draws her even closer as she rambles things off about herself. He didn't know who made the decision for them to get married, but he would have to thank them. He couldn't be happier, and he definitely could not wait for the wedding.

* * *

 **A/N: What did you think? Please comment! If you c** **ould add what you liked/disliked/something you want to see/anything that would be great too! I want to be able to better myself!**

P.S. THIS HAS BEEN POSTED ON MY OTHER STORY GADGE: THE MINI STORIES. PART 3 IS THE NEW PART!


	2. Chapter 2: Part 2

**(Part 2)**

Gale has been visiting Capitola a lot more lately than ever before (which isn't hard to beat considering a few months ago was the first time he ever stepped foot in Capitola). Madge couldn't say she hated having to wear all those pretty, _heavy_ dresses because it wasn't like she was in them for very long anyways. Gale made sure of that. They never went too far, but she loved the feel of his bare skin underneath her hands. His scar scattered skin was soft, it would glide under her hands like water passing through her fingers.

They spent a lot of time in her room (obviously), and perks of having your soon-to-be-husband over was _no one_ bothered you. It was bonding time. Even Thom was ordered to stand at the bottom of the stairwell to give them some privacy. He wasn't happy about it, but Madge was. He was far enough away that he wouldn't hear the deep groans she emitted from Gale as she presses teasing kisses over his skin, or the way the bed creaked when they were getting carried away.

They kissed _a lot_. But that didn't take away the sentimental, intelligent part of their budding relationship. Gale was a lot like his packages, like the night – you never knew what to expect from him and yet you knew exactly what to expect. Madge was a tidal wave, fast paced and strong. She tackles things head on. He took care of things under the radar.

Gale was accounting one of the many embarrassing stories about his brother Rory at the moment, while Madge presses delicate kisses to his chest and collarbones. Every so often, his breathing would hitch and his hands would start roaming on their own accord, but his story never stopped.

He laughs, "Yeah, Rory was swinging on the swing set in our backyard and out of nowhere a thunderstorm hit us pretty hard. He was swinging so high up that the wind just threw him everywhere. A clap of thunder came and he freaked out and flew off the swing. However, his underwear stayed with the swing." He had a giant smile gracing his face and Madge couldn't help but smile too. Just thinking about the stoic Rory she met a month ago running around in the rain with no underwear on was hilarious. But Madge knew that deep down Rory was a goofball that _laughed_ at _everything_. He always found the humor in everything. It was never a dull moment in the presence of Rory Hawthorne.

"What did he do!?"

"The only thing he could do! He ran straight into the kitchen, scaring Delly half to death at the sight of him half naked!" The two curl into each other, laughing until they couldn't breathe. Their morning consists of stories from their childhood – like in Gale's story – a heavy storm claps and cracks outside Madge's window. The sound of rain droning outside drowns out the noises around them except their voices. The more it rained, the colder the room got. By noon, the sun was shining through the window and the birds were fluttering out, chirping.

"Come on!" Gale tugs on Madge's hand. "Come on!" he slips out of bed, scurrying around for his clothing. Madge could just lie in bed and have him model for her all day, but he seemed excited.

She groans, throwing her arm over her face, "Where are we going?" She lazily peaks out from under her arm, a sexy smile on her face as she watches him slowly pull his pants up his lean, strong legs. She could get used to this.

The bed creaks under his weight. His cool fingers wrap around her tiny wrists, sending a shiver down her spine. When she opens her eyes, she finds him kneeling over her with his jeans on with the button undone and still (marvelously, might she add) shirtless. A brilliant smile that the sun would be jealous of painted on his face.

She raises an eyebrow at him, her ocean blue eyes sparkling with curiosity and delight, "The woods." He whispers. Her own lips refused to remain neutral when he whispers those two simple words. She had been waiting for this, quietly wishing he would want to go.

"Let me get dressed." She leans up and pecks on the lips before shoving off her. He laughs and watches much like she watched him. It was an odd experience – changing in front of someone that wasn't one of her maids for her aunt or mother. It was especially odd that he wasn't even a girl. And yet she felt alive, she knew what she could do to him and she wasn't afraid to tease him.

She walks over to her dresser, her hips swinging. Gracefully, she lets her fingertips trail down her sides. A smirk tightens her lips when she heard him clear his throat and the covers ruffling. She could imagine his flushed cheeks and the way he would always shallow thickly like he was embarrassed. First, she hooks her bra, then leaning down to pull on a pair of pale pink panties that she knew made her butt look good.

She jumps when his cool hands were on her again as she slipped on her dress. Damn him and his silent footsteps. His chilly fingers quickly begin working on the ties in the back of the dress slowly. His usual quick precision gone in that moment of quiet intimacy. He presses a soft kiss to each shoulder before lacing up the last tie and tying it in a tiny bow. It was tighter than she usually liked but she didn't complain.

"Ready to go?" she asks him through the mirror. He nods once, taking her warm hand in his icy one and tugging her out the door. "Wait! I can't possibly go to the woods in heels!"

"I supposed not, Princess." He chuckles low under his breath, playfulness sparkling in his eyes. She quickly goes to her closet and pulls on the dark brown hiking boots May and her bought so long ago on his first visit. When she re-exits, he says, "Ready now?" she nods, harboring the image of his smile when he saw her boots.

They chat idly about mindless things as they walk hand in hand down the stairwell, coming to a stop when they reach Thom's shoulder. He greets them with a warm smile, even tipping his head in Gale's direction. Thom and Gale had gotten to know each other lately, especially a few nights ago when Gale couldn't sleep.

"Morning Princess…Crown Prince." Gale tips his head back at Thom, muttering a morning back, "And what are you two up to?" Thom winks in Madge's direction, causing her cheeks to flare up like a cherry.

"We are going to the woods."

Thom's eyebrows quirk up instantly, a flare of horror flickers in his eyes that he quickly covers up, his eyes becoming neutral. Madge didn't notice it, but Gale did. He had seen it countless of times in the guards in Seamlyn, he had even seen it in his own father's eyes. It wasn't a look you forget quickly, and around here in Capitola, Gale wouldn't be surprised if he didn't see it often. Capitola wasn't like Seamlyn, they had a better military and better alliances then Seamlyn did. Seamlyn was a poor country with little too its name besides the Victory of Victories so long ago. And because of that Victory is why Seamlyn is attacked much more often than any other country surrounding them. Capitola had even attacked them, not that Madge knew of this.

Gale tried so hard, he did, but he still found a hate resigning in his stomach every time he looked at King Undersee. Here that man was, marrying his daughter off to a man that he didn't care if his country lived or died. And for whatever reason, whether his gut be right or wrong, Gale had a feeling this marriage that was made so long ago, now had other reasons behind it. Gale couldn't help but think that King Undersee was looking to _"expand"_ his terriority…right into Seamlyn's land.

"I don't think that is very wise, Princess." Thom muttered low under his breath, his eyes searching every inch of open space that he could see.

Madge looked appalled, "And why would that be?" she snaps. Gale feels like Thom dropped a two hundred pound brick on his stomach, the more he looked at Thom the more Gale felt like he was about to throw up. Either Capitola was about to get attacked, or Gale wasn't supposed to know about the attack about to be made against Seamlyn. Gale didn't want either to happen. Seamlyn couldn't take much more, but he also didn't want Madge endangered. Another brick slammed into his stomach when a pregnant pause settled between the three of them. Thom's eyes grew darker with worry and his full lips thinned out. Gale was about to throw up, and Thom didn't look too far behind him.

Thom's eyes bounced off everything once again before he leans forward, his hands settling in a knot behind his back and his voice low, barely above a whisper, "Mobilization." was all he said. Gale's eyes widen instantly, his hands becoming sweaty. Madge noticed that way Gale stiffens and his hand become slick in hers.

"What is this about?" Gale whispers, he was trying with all his might not to keel over and throw up. He sure felt like he was seconds away of doing this, though.

"They are preparing for…" Thom looks like he was being pulled two different ways, his angel and his devil telling him two different things, "I – I – I cannot say, I am under o-orders, sir. I've already said too much." Madge has never seen Thom like this, he was scared shitless. She glances over at Gale, or at least she meant too, but the look on his face gave her pause. He, too, was scared shitless. He face had been drained of all color and there was a slight tremor in his hands.

His voice came out harsh and direct as he spits them out, "Do you have a safe place for the Royal Family? You have too! Where is it!?" Thom stayed silent, too still to be human. Gale's hands slam against Thom's chest, startling Madge, "Damn it, Thom! Answer me! Where is it?"

"They're here." was all his whispers.

Gale's hands are quickly knotting themselves in Thom's uniform, his body shielding Thom from her view. "Damn it, Thom. Please," he voice lowers, "I _have_ to keep Madge safe. Don't you understand?" The two men stare at each other, a small moment passing between them.

The castle comes eerily quiet.

"We have to get Madge to safety." Gale says quietly. "It won't turn out –" Chaos drowns out the rest of his words. Barbaric yells and grunts and clangs of metal against metal could be heard from just around the corner, the pungent smell of blood following it in its wake.

Finnick, Gale's bodyguard, comes around the corner with his back facing them. He risks a glance over his shoulder, seeing the three of them.

"Get the Princess to safety!" he yells, causing a domino effect between the two men in the hall besides Finnick. Thom suddenly jumps right too it, grabbing Madge's arm harshly and dragging her down the hall, thank god she wasn't wearing heels, it would have only slowed them down. "Here!" Finnick yells, throwing a shield which Gale catches swiftly.

Gale covers all three of the backs the best he can, arrows clanking against its metal. Thom leads them upstairs, quite to Gale's despair. His heart thudded loudly in his chest at the possibility of Thom being a traitor. Gale swoops down, keeping the shield at a steady height, gripping his emergency knife in his boot. He glances at Thom, who glances at him. Thom nods and somehow that calms all the thoughts of a Traitorous Thom from his mind.

Gale looks behind him and sees that one man has fallen out of the pack and has gotten ahead of Finnick. Gale throws the knife. The knife lands expertly in the chest, piercing his heart. The man falls ungracefully and unforgivingly to the ground, his deep red blood soaking into the lavish red of the carpet. Gale keeps his eyes peeled for more attackers.

"This way!" Thom yells over the noise, jerking his head to the right.

Madge screams through her teeth when she hears Gale grunt. A big gaping hole splits in his pants; a waterfall of red can be seen behind it.

"I'm okay." He whispers in her ear. But she knew he wasn't, she could hear it in his voice – the strain.

"We're almost there." Thom says. Even he looked a little worried about Gale. It was only a flesh wound, a rookie's mistake, only meant to slow him down. Gale throws one last glance over his shoulder as they round a corner and slip into a room with an ivory colored tone and big glass windows. Gale locks the door and leans against it, urging Madge towards Thom, who is currently pulling out a dresser. From the distance that Gale is at, he can see is a medium sized, metal interior crawlspace.

"Come on." Thom says lowly, pushing Madge through and ushering Gale towards it. "We have to hurry; one man can only hold off that many people for so long."

"No, you go. I'll go help, Finnick." Gale leans over and grabs the hilt of Thom's sword, the Undersee's crest craved into the handle. Thom's hand grips Gale tightly.

"You're hurt, get in the shoot."

Gale shakes his head no, "I can't leave my one man out there. Finnick has always had my back, it's about time I have his."

"Gale, no!" Madge screams, silent tears already streaming down her face, "Please, Gale, I can't lose you!"

"You won't." he states softly, and then he's out the door as silent as a wolf.

"No!" Madge screams again, "No," she whispers, heartbroken. Madge stares at the door in disbelief; she couldn't believe he left her! After all they've been through; he just left her crying in a crawlspace with only worry to occupy her time.

"Come on, m'lady, we must get you to safety."

"Why would he do that, Thom, why would he leave like that?" she asks as he forced her into the space, shoving her through. He pulls the dresser back into its place behind him and nudges her forward.

"He's a noble man, Madge. He was taught to protect the ones he loves, especially the ones that save his life countless of times during battle. Now, be quiet, we don't need our voices echoing off of this for them to hear."

Madge sniffles one, worry heavy in her heart, before becoming silent.

They crawl through the small space as quickly as possible. It's so dark in there that Madge doesn't even realize they found the shoot door until she runs right into it.

She holds her head, "Ow." She rubs the sore spot, laying on her side to give Thom space to blindly search for the keyhole.

"Damn keyhole, they really just need to a button, so much easier." The only noise after that is the scraping of metal on metal as Thom searches for the keyhole. Suddenly, there's a click and a lock slides open, "Finally!" Thom cheers. "Now be careful, there's about a one foot drop down."

"Oomph," Madge huffs out as her elbows find the cool concrete ground roughly. "Little too late," she groans.

"Sorry."

…

It could've been days! It could've been hours! It could've been weeks! And Gale still wasn't back, nor have her parents arrived. She stalked the ten by ten space nervously. Thom had turned on the lights and was currently snacking on a bag of dehydrated cranberries.

"Who do you think decided one day 'I'm gonna dehydrate fruits and see what happens?'" Thom wonders aloud.

Throwing her hands up, "Thom, we don't have time for this! No one cares about your damn fruit! No one! Where are they? What's taking them so long? _Are they okay?_ _That_ , that would be the proper thinking path, _not_ dehydrated fruits!" in the rage of her anger, she tears the bag of dehydrated cranberries from Thom's hands and throws in across the room like a drama queen.

"Well that was unnecessary, Princess."

"I don't care!" she yells, going to back to stalking.

Suddenly, a loud banged sounded in the room from the main entrance, "Open up! Open up!"

Thom and Madge share a look. Madge slowly removes her hand from her mouth that she had covered when the bang happened, mouthing, "What do we do?" Terror was the only thing you could describe the look in Madge's eyes, she held nothing but terror.

"God damn it, Thom, opening up!"

"Who goes there?" Thom yells.

"Screw you dude – " Someone begins to say before another cuts him off, "Thomas Grayland, you have a birthmark on your ass that is shaped like a pineapple! You showed me two days ago and it _doesn't_ look _anything_ like a pineapple at all!" the second person's voice was strained with exhaustion and pain.

Madge didn't even need to know that Thom had a pineapple shaped birthmark on his butt, all she needed was to hear that voice before it had her running to the door.

"Princess!" Thom shrieks automatically. She shouldn't be answering the door. But it was too late.

A man with dark hair flopped down in the entrance way, blood everywhere. Even Finnick was covered in it.

"He was shot, I don't know if he'll make it." Everyone freezes, the words hanging in the air like a death sentence. _He was shot, I don't know if he'll make it…_

* * *

 **A/N: So I'm in love with this universe and I was wondering if you would like this to become a full fledged story? I sure would! What are your thoughts?**


	3. Chapter 3: Part 3

**Part 3**

Gale slips out of the room as silent as a wolf with only Thom's sword in his hand and the echoes of Madge's "no's" ringing in his ears. He felt awful, he really did. He didn't want to leave her alone with only Thom; he doesn't want her to worry about him either. But he couldn't leave Finnick either. Finnick had always been there for him – he was the one to train him and he's the one that was always by his side every time Seamlyn was attacked. They fought together, they were Brothers of War.

Gale immediately presses his back against the wall, slowly inching his way forward like Finnick had taught him to do. Gale keeps the sword poised and ready for anything that would come his way. He keeps his hunter's ear perked. Like before, metal against metal continues to clang and the smell of blood was pungent. He just hopes it wasn't Finnick's blood among the others.

A spike of fear strikes Gale's stomach. What if Finnick was dead? What would he do when he got down there? Run? Continue the fight Finnick was trying to win all by himself? Guess he'd just have to see when he got down there.

It didn't take long. He rounded the corner of the stairwell, becoming visible to everyone, and the first thing he saw was Finnick's bronze hair shining in the array of falling shards of a glass chandelier. A loud explosion of another gas powered chandelier erupted from some barbarian (could you really call someone in a snow white uniform barbaric?) throwing one of the candlelit torches lining the hallway at it.

Finnick looks at up, memorized by the falling shards for a moment too long.

"Finnick!" Gale yells, his voice ripping raw up his throat as he watches another man go charging at his friend. Gale didn't know when his feet started moving, but he didn't have too. All he knew was that he needed to get to Finnick and guide them _away_ from Madge and Thom. He had to keep her safe; he had to keep them _both_ safe, but he also needed to keep Finnick safe, too.

Gale lunges at the man, throwing himself sword first. The shining silver plunges deep into the man's stomach. Instantly the white uniform had a circle of rapidly spreading red around the swords blade. Gale glances up, despite his better judgment, and comes face to face with a wide eyed man with a look of pure terror in his eyes. It startles Gale to the core – the terror – it was rooted so deep in the man's eyes, shaking them both to the core. The man was looking at Gale, but _looking through_ him. He had emerald green eyes that had the most beautiful light green center; the green only grew darker the further away it was from the pupil. They were stunning and Gale had just killed those eyes.

But it wasn't his eyes or his now lack of life that would haunt Gale, it was the string of words that the man whispered in his last dying breath, "Capitola and Seamlyn will not stand much longer." And then the man slumps over, sliding off the sword with a heavy, dead thud.

"Thanks." Finnick says.

"Anytime!" Gale jerked his head towards the hallway he was running up earlier, Finnick nods, understanding. With his own barbaric yell, Finnick dives through the crowd, his sword slicing up and down and around the entire time. Gale followed soon after, taking the outside of the ring. With each new man dead on the floor, the angrier the group got. Gale tries to push away that sentence from his mind to fight, but was like it was a chain around his thoughts, unforgiving and unrelenting.

Soon enough Gale and Finnick were back to back, swinging their swords out at an attacker when they were brave enough to try to attack the pair. This was how Gale and Finnick liked to fight. They _wanted_ to be cornered. They had a record of never being beaten and everyone in the lands knew this. As if they were dancing with the devil, they would slam their sword respectably through the poor souls that thought they stood a chance.

"Oh, I see you're more concerned with the Princess's safety than my own." Gale says randomly, slamming his back into Finnick's. Finnick, regardless of the situation they were in, laughed lightly.

"Yeah sorry about that, but the King would have my head if his dearest Princess was found dead."

"And my father wouldn't have your head for mine?" Gale rolled his eyes before lunging forwards and stabbing two men through the stomach with Thom's sword, pulling back so his back was pressed against Finnick's.

"There's no one here to account for how you died."

It was Gale's turn to laugh, "You're horrible!"

"You still love me." you could hear the smug smile in his words. Finnick was a great guy, a little too cocky, but he knew how to fight. That was for sure. And Gale trusted him like he trusted no one else.

Being the Crown Prince made it hard for Gale to trust people. Everyone always wanted something from him. Whether it is a kiss, a picture, an autograph, it was always something. They didn't want _him_ , they wanted his power, his position, his title (Mrs. Crown Princess was a big one). It made him feel sick. Everyone in Seamlyn knew of his arranged marriage. It wasn't uncommon for Royal's to "exchange" their children to create and/or strengthen alliances. And right now, and possibly forever, Seamlyn needed protection.

But Finnick never treated Gale like a Royal. He treated him like a friend – a _best_ friend. Outside of the maids and butlers and cooks, Gale didn't have many friends (it was always advised against it), let alone any his _age_. Being a Royal was tough, but Finnick made it easier. Finnick was only a few years older and would always pick on Gale, and not take any of his shit, and taunt him about the pretty girls checking him out, but that was _normal_ , _teenage_ things like that. Things that the outside world robbed him of.

So of course, Gale loved Finnick like a brother. It was just how they worked out. Being as good as friends as they are, it makes it a lot easier to fight a battle alongside someone you trust and knows has your back. That's why they worked so well.

"Yeah, I do." Gale mutters under his breath. "I sometimes wonder why, though." It might not have been intentional, or maybe it was, but Finnick drilled his elbow into Gale's ribs harshly. Despite the pain, Gale smiled, but his smile would soon disappear.

They continue to fight with ease, only minor contradictions setting them back. But somehow, Gale had this nasty pit growing in the depths of his stomach that he couldn't shake off. It nagged at him like that dying sentence was nagging him. With each second ticking by, it grew bigger, strong, and more prevalent. It was starting to feel like someone had shot a cannonball into his stomach.

"Are you okay?" Finnick asks, "You seem to be slowing down?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…I think?" The latter part was whispered, confusion filling his head. He knew he shouldn't be focusing on something as nonchalant as the sinking feeling in his stomach, but he couldn't help it. And he was right, he should've kept his focus trained on the fight for seconds later a piercing pain erupting in his stomach from the outside in.

It started as a deep rooted pain that centralized in the left side of his stomach, slowly becoming more and more painful until his entire body felt a flood of pain. He knew what happened before the first drop of blood stained his shirt. He had been shot. An arrow through the stomach… A slow death…

A belated grunt escapes his lips. His vision blurs and his stomach lurches in pain and nausea.

He had been shot…

He had been shot…

 _I have been shot…_

That's all he could think about, it was all he could _feel_. He tried to fight, swing his sword out blindly and halfheartedly, but everyone notices how he was beginning to slow down. He himself could tell he was losing it. He couldn't fight much longer, but somehow the world wasn't in his favor today.

"Hold on, buddy." Finnick says. There are only a few more barbarians left trying to attack them. Finnick could easily hold them off, but the thing is…they didn't need to _hold them off_ ; they needed them to perish into thin air. Neither one of them was stupid enough to think that these were the last ones in the castle, they both knew there was far more. This was only the first wave, the runts that blindly gave their lives for a cause they hardly knew anything about. The brave souls that hadn't experience war yet.

With one last final stab to the last man standing and then one to the stomach, Gale was leaning heavily on Finnick. Finnick had wrapped an arm around Gale's waist, his arm running diagonal up to his chest. Gale groans deeply in his throat when Finnick shifts him as gently as possible so Gale had an arm around Finnick's shoulder. Slowly, they stumble up the stairs again, Gale giving out poor directions even though it was simply one turn. His vision was blurring in and out in forceful waves, which in return causes his stomach to roll like the ocean outside of the castle's windows.

Once inside the room, Finnick deposits Gale on the bed. "Now this is gonna hurt like hell, but –"

Gale cuts him off, "Just do it." His words slur like he's a drunken bird in the morning. He leans his head back against the plush material of the bed and braces himself for the pain that's about to come. You just got to rip off a Band-Aid, right?

Gale's fingers dig into the bedding and his head rolled back, his back arching in pure pain as Finnick eases the arrow out of his stomach. Instantly, blood is gushing out in wild waves that soak his shirt. With his shirt soaking wet, it's making it harder to get out because his shirt in sticking to the wound. "Just get it out!" he screams, gasping after as if the life is being sucked out of him, his vision blurring violently.

Suddenly, like something had possessed him, he grips Finnick's arms fiercely, his fingernails digging in. He sucks in one big breath, his lungs quivering, "Tell me I'm going to make it, please, just tell me I'm going to make it!" Gale's voice is frantic. When his vision clears again, Finnick's face levels out. But what Gale seems in those eyes aren't hope and encouragement, its despair. Gale's stomach sinks.

"I don't know. We need to find the others. Just…just hold on." Gale's eyes follows Finnick's to the ever growing red spot on his white button down. His eyes widen for a second before he nods harshly.

"Pull the dresser out; there should be a crawlspace behind." Finnick obeys, slowly drawing the dresser out so it doesn't make any unnecessary noises. He gets on his knees and uses all his strength to twist the valve. With a final grunt, it gives away. Gale slides himself off the bed gently, crawling his way over to the crawlspace.

" _Gently_ go through the crawlspace." Gale nods and begins crawling through the tight space. Much like Thom did, Finnick pulls the dressers back into place. He maneuvers like a dog for a moment to turn around, backing up and then turning some and then backing up again in the tiny space. They continued forth.

It was all silent, except for the slapping of the bare hands on the chilled metal interior. The longer they moved the more labored Gale's breathing became.

"If you need – "

"No!" he snaps. The continued on in silence.

The pit in his stomach was forming again like it did earlier in battle. He couldn't decide whether or not it was because he was injured or because something wrong was about to happen. It seems the latter was always going to happen today.

Before he knew it, he yelps in surprise as the ground beneath his hands suddenly disappears and he's falling face first into some pit. His first thoughts…the barbarians have trapped them. He's second thought: If Thom and Madge went this way it couldn't hurt him. It must be set in place to protect them once they got to their safe haven.

"Gale…ahh!" Finnick falls through the hole, landing harshly on Gale's legs.

"I'm already hurt enough, you no good for nothing clown!"

Groaning, "Sorry." he mutters.

They stagger around in the dark, Gale trying to fight through the hazing pain. Finnick mutters something that Gale can't understand but soon enough cool metal is under his hands again as he leans heavily against it. Pressing his cheek against it, he groans softly.

"Open up! Open up!" The air becomes eerily still. The two men could hear the pumping of their hearts in the still, heavy air. It smells musty down here. "God damn it, Thom, open up!" Finnick's voice was filling up with rage. In the dim lighting, Gale could see the endless abyss of wrath burning in the pupils of his friend's eyes.

"Who goes there?" Thom's deep voice yells.

Finnick punches the air in frustrations, "Screw you, dude – "

Gale doesn't let him get that far. When Finnick goes on a rant you might as well grab a cup of tea and a novel because you're going to be there a _long_ time.

"Thomas Grayland, you have a birthmark on your ass that is shaped like a pineapple! You showed me two days ago and it _doesn't_ look _anything_ like a pineapple at all!"

Not even a minute later, the lock slides open. Gale didn't even have time to push himself off the door, his body flopping ungracefully to the floor in a heap.

Madge's eyes widen in horror, her body becoming endless still, almost like she was frozen for all of eternity in that position. Her mouth opens and closes in an unladylike fashion and she seems to have been sent into shock at the sight of her fiancé.

"What – w-what…" she trails off, her voice shakes like the glass chandeliers did before they exploded into a million tiny shards in the hall.

"He was shot, I don't know if he'll make it."

Finnick's words seep heavily into Madge's heart. She felt like she couldn't breathe, it was like the air was no longer there and the world had robbed her of the most important thing she needed to live. All she could see was _blood blood blood_. It was _everywhere_. Everywhere she looked, she could even smell its metallic scent in the air. It makes her stomach squeeze painfully in her abdomen. Madge shallows thickly and forces herself over to Gale's form. Finnick and Thom had lifted Gale out of the doorway and over to a small set of cloths in the corner. Finnick was gently trying to peel off Gale's shirt while Thom rummaged in the storage room adjacent (no door) to the room they were in for medical supplies.

Her feet were heavy with each step. She felt like gravity was gone and she was forced to lift her dead weight legs up and down in order to get to her dear soon-to-be-husband. She clasps her hand around Finnick's shoulder and stares down at Gale, whose face is crumpled in pain and he's withering slightly.

"Thom?" she's startled by her own voice, it comes out stronger than she thought was possible in a situation like this, "Is there a blanket over there that we could wrap around his shoulders? We need to keep him warm." Madge tries to think about to all the times she had to take care of her mother when her mother's illness got to be too much for her to handle by herself. Her mother always had the chills when she was sick and Madge and her father _always_ made sure she had a blanket to wrap up in. Now, Gale's and her mother's situation was completely different, but if Madge knew one thing about anything medical, it was that you had to keep your patient warm so they don't go into shock. They definitely didn't want _that_ to happen.

Thom continues to rummages through the supplies, eventually throwing over a thick, gray blanket to wrap around Gale's shoulders.

Madge and Finnick were silent for a long time. It wasn't your average I'm-worried-about-him silence, it was a deep, heavy, slightly awkward silence of two people who hardly know each other and only know each other by name, but is currently worried about a mutual friend type of awkward silences. Madge glances at Finnick, only to find him staring back at her, deep regret in his eyes.

"I'm deeply sorry, Princess. I didn't mean to get him harmed. It is all my fault." His voice comes out slow and you could hear the sincerity in it.

Madge re-places her hand on Finnick's shoulder, "It is alright. He would not blame you, therefore, I will not blame you. You did what you could."

"But you could not have known!"

"Finnick," she whispers, "It does not matter what you did or didn't do. The moment has passed, the events have happened. I do not blame you."

Finnick's lips were parted and he looked a little stunned. He didn't say anything for the longest time. His eyes stayed glued to hers and Madge could see a thousand thoughts flying through his mind at record's speed.

"I – um…" he scratches the back on his neck, his fingers curling around the base of his neck after, he dips his head, "Thank you…Princess."

"You're a good man, Finnick. Do not forget that." She says, her eyes lingering on his for another moment before looking back at Gale. Gale's face was sweaty and was an ashy gray color. His breathing was still labored and the blood was still seeping profusely out of the wound. Madge's stomach squeezes painfully again. God, she hopes he'll be alright. She doesn't know what she will do without Gale Hawthorne.

She takes his hand in hers, tightly. She draws his always cold fingers to her lips and presses a dainty kiss to his knuckles, "I love you. _God_ , I love you." She whispers against his knuckles, tears slowly welding up in her eyes like a rainstorm about to turn into a thunderstorm.

After that it seems like the world moves in slow motion. Thom eventually finds the medicine kit and eventually they manage to stop Gale's bleeding. It took a while to stop the bleeding, Thom's and Finnick's hands were coated in blood and everyone's stomach rolled at the disgusting scent by the end of it. Gale passes out from the pain that had ridden his body and ultimately his breathing soothes out to a minimal amount of forced labor.

But that didn't stop Madge from worrying. Her stomach was in a constant knot and she couldn't decide if her heart was beating too fast or too slow. And every time his breathing shutters and rattles in his chest her own constricts, thinking that maybe that was his last one. It was an endless circle of what ifs and silent pleading for with whoever above was listening.

Time seems infinitely slow when something horrible happens when really it's moving at a speed you cannot process. Everything horrible happens in a nanosecond, but the waiting…the waiting never ends. Of course it does eventually, but it feels like you're in an infinite, boundless void of nothing but dark thoughts and black times. You can try to think of happy thoughts all you want, but those crippling dark thoughts are always there, always waiting, and always ready to wrap around you like a prisoner's chains. It's endless and everything all at the same time.

That's what Madge felt, like the endless loopy loop of her life had derailed and now it was just _falling falling falling_ into the black abyss of who-knows-what and where it will end. And finding out you're in love with a man at a time like this isn't the easiest on the heart. Actually, it makes your heart beat fast and slow at the same times, makes it pumps powerfully and weakly, and the steady thump of your heart is the constant reminder that you will live and the other may not.

She didn't even know it was possible to love a man as much as she loves Gale. She didn't even know she could love another breathing, living thing as much as she loved him.` It bewildered her and excited her at the same time. But it also worried her because if he died it would only make this moment so much harder. She couldn't decide if she wanted to worry about him dying or obsessing if she said those three little words too fast.

"Why don't you get some rest, Princess?" Finnick said from behind her, his hands rest gently on her shoulders, giving a light squeeze. She looks up tiredly at him, her eyelids drooping with sleep. She shook her hand no anyways.

"I cannot –" she yawns, "I cannot leave him."

Thom kneels down by Gale's head. His fingers gently searching for a pulse point. It was there, thankfully, but weak. It didn't worry Thom too much, it was steady enough that as Gale gained strength again it would become stronger.

"You aren't leaving him, Princess. No one's going anywhere…at least until morning." Thom lets out a yawn of his own, turning his head to side and covering his mouth. He too felt the weight of the day taking its toll on him. He blinds hard a few times to wake himself up.

"You two rest, I'll take the first watch…just in case something happens." He adds when Thom and Madge glance curiously at the steel door Gale and Finnick entered what feels like a lifetime ago.

Thom nods and gets up to find the extra furs in the storage room. He begins to set up two beds – one for Madge and one for Thom and Finnick to switch using – near Gale.

"Go." Finnick says gently, flexing his fingers back and forth, beckoning her towards Thom. "I'm not going to hurt him Madge," a big goofy smile fills his face, "the worst I will do is kiss right on the lips!"

A small smile of her own tugs sleepily on her lips, she sticks her index finger out and points harshly at Finnick's chest. "Those lips are mine!" Madge crawls over to the pile of furs that isn't currently occupying Thom's body. She takes off the first layer and flips it over to use the fluffy side as a blanket before bunching up a few to form a makeshift pillow. She curls up on the blanket and grabs Gale's hand in her own. Madge rubs her thumb over his knuckles and looks at him in the dim light.

She has looked at him a thousand times while he slept, but then he looked peaceful and young. Here he just looks broken and weak. Drawling his fingers once again to her lips, she kisses them sweetly, letting the coldness seep into her lips as she drifts off.

…

The next morning, her father is shaking her awake. He has a bandage above his eye but he looks ultimately okay. She glances quickly over to wear Gale was supposed to be lying to find to Peeta and a group of men (including Finnick and Thom) lifting Gale up slowly and carefully off the ground. He seems to still be asleep, which causes Madge to worry that something is seriously wrong with him.

"Shh, shh," her father, the King, brushes her hair out of her face. Her eyes instantly go to his crystal blue ones, finding understanding and comfort, "He'll be okay. He took _quite_ the hit! He just needs a few days to recover, that's all, Madgie." She feels exhausted, despite the fact that she slept all through the night. And her father's words weren't helping. He was going to make it, but he wasn't _okay_.

Peeta turns to her, a smile that's always there was there, "Breakfast will be served soon, Princess. It's your favorite! Strawberries waffles with whipped cream!" That makes Madge smile slightly. Picking herself off the ground, her father wraps a coat around her shoulders. They ascend the stairs quietly behind the group carrying Gale.

At the top of the stairs is Madge's mom and Aunt May stand, both dressed in long sweaters and slippers and looking worst for wear than Madge felt. Queen Undersee's arms wrap around Madge the second she's within reach.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" she whispers, squeezing Madge a little too tight. Madge doesn't mind, she hasn't felt her mother hug her this tight since she was a little girl. It was nice.

"How about a bath!?" Aunt May offered. Madge nods gratefully. She's alright thinking about how well the warm, sudsy water and perfumed bubble bath will feel. The three women move up to the King and Queen Undersee's master bedroom. The three women strip down to the underwear and bra and slip into the massive tub, all of them sighing as the warm water loosens their muscles.

The Queen is the first one to interrupt the blissful silence, "Honey?"

"Hmm?" Madge sighs.

"I feel like we haven't talked in a while." Uh-oh, that's never good. That means Queen Undersee wanted answers and answers she shall get. May snickers but otherwise stays silent. "You and Gale seem _awful_ close…"

"We _are_ engaged to be married, mom." Madge raises her eyebrow.

"Alright, since you're not catching my drift," she rolls her eyes, "Are you still a virgin?"

Madge's eyes widen to the size of saucers and her cheeks are probably the color of Gale's blood. Her mouth gaps open and close like a dying fish. "M-m-m, uh, mom, I –I – I…"

Queen Undersee quirks her eyebrows and crosses her arms over her chest, "Well." Madge nods yes, not trusting her voice.

"Yes!"

"Mmmhmm…" a smirk crosses her mother's lips. "That's not what Thom said." Thom was going to die.


	4. Chapter 4: Part 4

**Part 4**

By the time dinner was served, they have successfully moved Gale into the medical wing of the castle to be taken care of by one of the many very talented nurses on staff. Luckily for Gale, these nurses have seen arrow wounds before and knew exactly want to do. They were currently cleaning out of the wound very thoroughly to ensure he wouldn't get an infection in it and then they were to wrap up the wound tightly to limit any excess bleeding that may occur by movement.

Despite the hazing pain, Gale just felt exhausted. The sun was rising slowly in the sky but he felt like it should be setting. Each second the nurse was dabbing at his wound, the more he would rather have been asleep. He knew she was working diligently, but he just wishes she would move faster. Each dab to the wound was another shock through his body. The pain was like nothing he has ever felt before. The pain had to end sometime, didn't it?

"Would you like some more alcohol to numb the pain, Crown Prince?" Gale's head shifts slowly to look at the small but wide girl. She had the most beautiful pair of deep brown eyes that drew you in like the devil; it was a dark chocolate color. She also had the brightest, reddest lips he had ever seen on a woman. Unlike the girl, Madge had pale pink ones. The girl had womanly curves even though she looked the age of 15. She raises her eyebrow patiently; his mental process seems to be a little slow today.

He shakes his head like a little kid. She puts the glass rim to his parted lips and tipped the bottle up, pouring a gulp down his throat. She waited for him to shallow before allowing him 3 more gulps of alcohol. Gale let the rush of warmth from the alcohol rush down his throat and drain warmly into his stomach. His mind became even fuzzier as it immediately became taking effect.

Gale clears his throat, "How much longer do you think you'll be?" he asks the nurse patiently working on his wound, his voice sounding raw and ripped of energy. She shrugs, not looking up from her work. He watches her reach behind herself and grabs yet another wad of cotton. She glances up to make sure she's placing her cotton ball in the white liquor bowl. From there she goes back to collecting the oozing blood seeping from his wound as he winces for what feels like the one-hundredth time. The bleeding has slowed down significantly since when it first started, but he still lost a lot of blood. The nurse working on his wound told him earlier that it would take a few _long_ days of rest to recover from the amount of blood he has lost, but Gale didn't know about a few days. He was to return home tomorrow morning, but it wasn't looking like it was about to happen.

But Gale could care less about returning home tomorrow. All he really wanted to do was to sleep. He feels like he could sleep a week away and that wouldn't be enough! All the energy he had once possessed seems to have been drained from him and left him with little to nothing. It was already hard enough to stay awake as it was, but he pushed himself. It wasn't that he didn't trust Capitola's nurses, it was that he didn't like the feeling that settled in his stomach at the thought of being asleep while someone was working on him. That feeling was dread. And he couldn't shake it.

It was like he was just waiting for another wave of men in white uniforms to come charging through the medical wings doors. It filled his stomach with anticipation and dread which only causes his wound to pulse to the beat of his heart.

"If you could remain calm it would help out with the bleeding." The nurse who had given him the alcohol said. But the thing was, he didn't know _how_ to calm down, it wasn't in his nature. Gale had never been a _calm_ person. Gale was made of fire and ice, two raging elements that never slowed down. So "being calm" was hard for Gale because it wasn't something someone could teach him how to do. Finnick had always scolded Gale about being riled up during a fight because he wasn't thinking with his head, he was thinking with his weapon. Even Gale's father had always been worried about Gale's health at times because he was always stressing about something. So "being calm," despite that it might help, just wasn't going to happen, _especially_ when he _felt_ the enemy just around the corner.

"Do you have men on the perimeter?" Gale asks suddenly. His eyes more alert than they have been all day. The nurse's head slowly rose, a look a bewilderment on her face. "Do you have men on the perimeter?" Gale asks again, afraid that she had not hear him.

"I would believe so –"

"So you are saying you do not know?"

"I have no reason to know, I'm just a nurse. All I need to know is if we have patients coming in. But I'm sure the King has ensured our safety. There's nothing to worry about, Crown Prince." Her words were meant to comfort him but he couldn't find in himself to feel safe. There was just this itching in his stomach that _told_ him to be on alert. Maybe he was just being paranoid. Maybe it was just from lack of blood.

Gale settles back against the pillows once more, not even realizing he had moved in the first place. He closes his eyes and sucks in a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself by imagining Madge in that beautiful blue dress he met her in. He flexes his fingers a few times before opening his eyes and folding his arms behind his head. He began to count the bricks on the ceiling.

1…

2…

3…

He reaches 89 bricks when he was feels the nurse squeeze his calf.

"Well, you're all done. Why don't you try to get some rest." She suggests.

"I won't be able to sleep." Gale mutters, not even bothering to look at her.

"Oh right, because you just got out of battle." She says and squeezes his leg again supportively. That wasn't the reason why, but he wasn't going to tell her that.

Gale wouldn't be able to sleep until he knew exactly why Snowland had evaded Capitola. What were their motives? What was the point? Gale didn't have a hint of doubt that it wasn't Snowland. No other country was as obsessed with the color white and roses than Snowland was. Their leader – Cornelius Snow – _always_ had white roses. It was what decorated their country. Gale had only been there a few times with his father for business, but Gale knew the second he was greeted by an archway of white roses and the strong scent of blood, that he would hate the guy and the country. Even then, Gale had been blinded by all the people in white.

It wasn't just that Capitola had been hit by Snowland, but Seamlyn had too. _Recently._ So it made Gale suspicious…and worried. What did Snow want? Complete control of his two neighboring countries? Destruction of their alliance with Capitola? Tension? World domination? Whatever it was, it wasn't good…

A pair of sweet, soft lips land on Gale's, shaking him out of his revere. His train of thought was no longer on the verging war. His lips respond before the rest of him even has time to register that these lips belong to Miss Madge Undersee. Their lips move slowly in sync with one another, he can taste her dinner still lingering on her skin – which reminds him that he hadn't have any. He feels the bed dip down under her weight, his hands instantly gathering her in his arm and tugging her into his lap. She responds enthusiastically, licking his bottom lip to ask for entrance and her hands tangle in his messy hair. She doesn't even mind that his hair was still slick with sweat.

All she cares about is that he was okay, the nurse even promised her on her way out the door that he would make a full recovery. And finally being allowed to see him made her even happier to see that he was alive and well enough – he no longer had that ashy gray color to him. Upon seeing him, she had an instantaneous want to kiss him. So she did.

And, now, here they were, connected at the mouth enamored in a kiss that made both of their stomach fill with heat as they lost themselves in one another. Madge's hands tug on his neck, forcing his face closer to hers. His icy cold finger tips trail down her leg and slowly, tightly wrap around her right ankle, dragging it around his one hip until she was straddling his lap. She arches her back into his chest, causing him to groan deep in his throat.

Their endeavors continue on for a long while. They barely even come up for air. Soon enough, Madge's dress is hiked pretty high up her thighs and Gale's hands run greedily up and down them – reveling in the feel of her soft skin under his hands, Her hands grip his shoulders roughly, never allowing his body to have more than an inch of space between hers.

Her hands slowly, sexily, travel down his stomach in a slow roll. He shivers and growls against her lips as her finger teasingly slip under the hem of his shirt. He pulls away to look her in the eyes, want settled deep in his pupils. She smirks, knowing that hated being teased. She twiddles her fingers under her shirt before intentionally running her fingers up his stomach, feather light. His head tips back some before he attacks her jaw.

They don't stop until Gale jerks suddenly, a gasp of pain escaping his lips. Madge's hands instantly fly off his stomach, her eyes staring at space where the bandage peeked out from under his undershirt.

"I'm so sorry!" the apology immediately flying off her lips. He shakes his head while inspecting the bandage for any signs that the wound was irritated or if the bandage needed to be replace. Neither was the case.

"It's quite alright. I forgot to warn you that it's a little sore."

Madge's hands fly up to cover her eyes, her fingertip nipping him in the nose as she goes. "No, no, I _should've_ known. I shouldn't been more careful." She pauses, a look of deep regret in her eyes, "Are you in pain?" she whispers so softly that Gale's heart ached in his chest. She looked horrified that she had hurt him when all it was a sharp flicker of pain, not even a few seconds long, not that she knew that.

She lets him pull her hands away from her face, her eyes never leaving his. He leans in slowly, hesitantly as if he was afraid she wouldn't let him near her. She doesn't move. He places a small peck of a kiss on the tip of her nose, reassuringly. "No, I'm not. I'm quite alright."

"Are you sure?" she was still whispering.

He nods once.

The room becomes silence. Neither of them feel that it is necessary to break the silence. The only thing Gale could hear was the sound of footsteps approaching the medical wing's door, but he ignored that. Instead, he focused on the sound of Madge's breathing, it seems like she was holding her breath.

"Breathe, baby, breathe." He whispers. Suddenly, a loud gust of air comes from her nose. He chuckles at her. Tears instantly filling her eyes. He wipes them away before they even have a chance to fall. "Today has been rather stressful, hasn't it?" she nods, "Why don't you try to get some sleep?" he offers, much like the nurse had offered him earlier.

"I'm not that tired." She says around a yawn. A small smile lights up Gale's face at the sound of her awful lie. She wrinkles her nose in disgust before sticking her tongue out at him.

Just as Gale is about to respond, a knock strikes the wooden door leading into the room. Thom pokes his head in.

"Gale, the King would like to see you." Thom didn't look his best, that's for sure. His uniform shirt was replaced with his white undershirt that was all wrinkly from sleep, and stained red from Gale's blood. He winces at the sight. It really _was_ everywhere.

Gale nods, "Let me put Madge to bed, first."

"I'll meet you at the window." Gale nods again, understanding what window Thom meant. He meant the one he and Gale had sat and talked a few nights ago – the same one where Thom had revealed his "pineapple" shaped birthmark. It really didn't look like a pineapple, but Thom insisted!

Thom leaves, letting the door click loudly in place. Madge is playing with his fingers, refusing to look at him.

"I'm not going to bed. You cannot make me." she doesn't look up, although she does continue to play with his fingers. Gale stays silent, just looking at the beautiful girl in front of him. She would make an excellent leader, he decides. She was hardheaded, but caring. She took in account what people wanted, but she wouldn't go through with everything unless it would actually benefit her country. In this situation, she was just being defiant to Gale's wishes. His heart swells a little in his chest for an unknown reason. Her words from last night ringing his ears.

 _"_ _I love you._ God _, I love you."_ He wanted to say it back to her, he didn't, he couldn't trust his ears. At least not when he had just been shot and was bleeding half to death. Maybe he imagined what he wanted to hear, maybe she said it out of fear. Usually Gale was strong, but for some reason those 3 little words were making his heart beat faster in his chest and stomach to cramp up. Every time he told himself he would say it, he ends up chickening out. What if he heard wrong?

He shakes his head.

She looks up when he doesn't say anything. Her ocean blue eyes connect with his storm gray ones. She parts her lips as if she is going to say something, but then doesn't. He reaches up and folds a stray piece of her blonde hair behind her left ear. His hand drops to her thigh, nudging it.

"Then don't." he states, but still she lifts herself off the bed and extends her hand to him. It takes him longer to get out of bed than her. He gently pushes off softly until his legs are dangling over the edge, his breathing slightly labored.

Her hands comes to rest on his chest, "Take your time, no need to rush." She murmurs softly, her hands rubbing his chest comfortingly. Madge wraps her hand around his arm to help him lift himself off the bed. With one big push and pull, he is standing, his hands gripping her waist for balance, his vision partially blurry. "You okay?" she asks. He shakes his hand and releases her only to offer her his arm. She doesn't take it, instead she takes his cold hand in her warm one and tugs him gently towards to light wooden door. She'd much rather hold his hand, than his arm. He was her fiancé, not some gentleman at a ball.

They move leisurely through the castle to ensure that Gale's wound wouldn't hurt any more than necessary. Madge tries to make small talk to take his mind off the pain in his lower abdomen.

They reach Madge's room in no time. Gale tucks her into bed.

Chuckling low in her ear as he leans over her to kiss her goodnight, "Couldn't make you go to bed, couldn't I?" she makes an "oh" sounds and swats at his chest. He leans down to peck her on the lips before heading back towards the door. At the door, he looks over his shoulder to find her staring at him. She winks before flopping over and curling all the blankets around her like a burrito. He shakes his head again, a loving smile gracing his stubbly face.

…

Gale and Thom enter the Royal Meeting Room at promptly midnight. Where had the day gone? The King and his men were hunched over a map of the territories, Gale instantly picking out Seamlyn – the tiniest country on the map. Next to that was Capitola. Underneath and connected from bottom center to bottom center from Capitola and Seamlyn lied Snowland. Even on a map, Capitola and Snowland looks like their competing for largest country.

King Undersee glances over his shoulder and beckons the boys in, "Oh good, you're here…Gale, you and Finnick," he glances across the table at the bronze hair warrior who looked like he was ready to pass out, "came in contact with the foreign enemy – "

"It was Snowland, I'm positive." Gale cuts off the King. He receives some nasty glances from some of the King's men. The one closest to him looked like he was about to punch Gale for being rude.

"You're sure?" the King asks seriously, choosing to overlook Gale's rudeness.

"100%. I've been to Snowland once or twice…I _know_ what their military looks like. Plus, they're the only ones who would wear white in battle. I cannot fathom to think it was anyone else."

"Plus, each of them had a white rose pin on the left lapel on their uniform." Finnick adds in, sounding just as exhausted, if not more, as he looked.

"Is this true?" Thom asks Gale. Gale nods. He didn't actually pay that close attention, but he trusts Finnick's observation.

"Alright," the King claps his hands together, suddenly looks older than his years. Being a King must be hard, Gale thinks, soon he'll be there too. "What do you propose we do?" King Undersee looks straight over at Gale, who shrugs, then at Finnick, who also shrugs.

"No offense, King Undersee, but you're asking the wrong people. As you probably know, Seamlyn has been under attack for several months now, _as you can see_ , we have not been able to cease the fighting." Finnick says, standing up and stabbing his finger on Seamlyn on the map. "Snowland has attacked us, Roseland has attacked us, Districta has attacked us, _and_ Capitola has attacked us." Finnick growls the last part, looking at every person in the room with hard, unforgiving eyes, stabbing each country as he goes harshly. When they land on Gale they soften. Gale knew the pain and betrayal Finnick felt. Finnick's anger was flaring quickly in his chest. "So to ask _us_ , who even you have attacked, seems ridiculous."

"I did not mean to upset you, Mr. Odair."

"Just like you didn't mean to attack us?" Finnick growls?

"Or burn the poorest part of our country to the ground?" Gale glares at the King. Hatred boiling hot in his stomach. Like they weren't already poor enough?

"Or try to control the West part of the country?" Finnick continues.

"Or try to expand your territory into Seamlyn's?" Gale growls out, his hands are balled into fist and his teeth are gritted.

The King looks taken aback by their anger. His lips are parted as he licks his lips. You can see him jumping through hurdles to come up with some explanation as to why he would attack his allies the way he did.

"We have an alliance!" Finnick screams, his hands slamming flat on the table, "And you _broke_ it!" Gale shoots Finnick a look, telling him to stop. Finnick cracks his knuckles once before spinning on his heels and leaving the room hurriedly before he could open his mouth again.

The room is silent, everyone looking at the only other Seamlyn member in the room. Gale doesn't coward, he doesn't look at the ground. Instead, he holds his ground and glares at everyone in the damn room. They wanted Seamlyn's help to defeat Snowland, but they couldn't even be gracious enough to protect _an ally_.

Gale steps up to the table, his hands spreading out over the map. "Alright, we need to use your alliance with Roseland and Districta to attack at every angle but Seamlyn's. Close them out, lock them in. We'll send in insiders to scoop out the territory. _Capitola_ people _only_ , that's the least you can do for Seamlyn."

Thom nods and marks down notes on a piece of loose-leaf.

"We will defeat them…for Madge." Gale punches his fist into the table, his voice lifting with confidence. He will not let Madge come in harm's way again. That's the _only_ reason he will help out Capitola…Because Madge means everything.

"For Madge!" the group cheers, lifting their fists in the air.

* * *

 **A/N: Countries: Capitola = representing D12's Town. Seamlyn = representing D12's Seam. Snowland = representing the Capitol (I know, confusing, sorry). Roseland - representing Snow's supporters (although it may not be that may in the story, haven't decided). Districta - representing D13.**

 **P.S. I should probably mention this, but I DID NOT come up with Seamlyn and Capitola. I don't know who did, but I thank him/her everyday for it!**

 **Shoutouts:** Latinagirl-reader2010 **,** Widz2926, Baiter08, Gabbeatriz, GagdeLover. .cow, 1207, TheDud007 (cool username btw), FieryGoldenPhoenix **Thanks so much for the follow and the favorite. You rock!**

 **P.P.S. to any tumblr users that liked it on Tumblr ... THANKS SO MUCH TOO! LOVE YOU GUYS!**


	5. Chapter 5: Part 5

**Part 5**

When Gale crawls into Madge's bed late the next morning, Madge doesn't even bother pushing him away. Usually when he tries to literally _sleep on top of her_ , she would push him away, but she doesn't this time. She can see the way his shoulders sag and there are dark heavy bags under his eyes. He looks like he was hit head on by a fast moving train after a hard day.

Gale instantly loops his arms around her ribcage and cuddles his face into her chest, breathing in her fresh scent, and hoping she wouldn't push him away. He was pleasantly surprised when she wraps her arms around his shoulders tightly, drawing lazy patterns in between his shoulder blades with her fingers soothingly. His muscles begin to slowly relax, first in his shoulders and neck and all the way to his toes. Curling more into her soft bedding and her, sleep approaches him like a freight train.

"I love you." He kisses her collarbone, his voice so full of sleep and exhaustion, it sounds heavy like a burden was resting on his shoulders. It was the last thing he said before his eyes drift shut and his entire body settles into a deep sleep. Madge doesn't even bother trying to untangle herself from the restraints that are his arms. Instead, she just continues to draw patterns of constellations in the groove of his shoulder blades.

It was nearly 9 in the morning by now. Madge had had a restless sleep, constantly tossing and turning throughout the night. No matter what position she laid in or how many times she flipped her pillow, it just wasn't going to happen. She liked to think it was because Gale wasn't with her. She also liked to think she had grown used to having him in her bed, his weight and distribution on the mattress familiar. And sure, he was part of the problem, but just in a different way. Her castle – her _country_ – had just been attacked and, like Gale felt in the hospital, she felt like they weren't fully gone, like they were just right around the corner. So she felt _unsafe_ without Gale there to protect her. Sure, she usually has Thom, but he was busy with meetings with her father last night, as was Gale. The attack has left her petrified and she knew it was stupid.

So in return for her fear, she had an awful night's sleep. Madge highly considers trying to go back to sleep now that Gale was here to protect her, but she couldn't find it in her. For some reason, she _knew_ he was in a deep sleep and it would be hard to wake him. So going back to sleep could only endanger her as much as it did when he wasn't here. She also considered getting up for the day and taking a nice, long, hot bath that would soothe her muscles and her thoughts, but she also couldn't find it in her to have to possibly fight in a towel with nothing to defend her.

As she said before, she knew it was stupid. But she continued to be on the lookout. Usually, she would be thinking about the heat of his skin seeping in through her nightgown. Or even the way his soft breathing (he never snored, _thank god_ ) was like a gentle butterfly fluttering through the soft breeze. But her stomach was too tight and she was to wound up to worry about the little things.

For about an hour, she would tense at the smallest thing – Gale groaning in his sleep, the brush of his fingers against the covers, the sound of a door slamming. She was going stir-crazy! As gently as Madge could, she lifts Gale's sleeping body off of her and slips out of the bed. The floor is cold between her feet, causing her to do a funny little dance as she tucked his sleeping form back into bed, making sure there wasn't an inch of skin showing from the shoulders down. Days and nights have been cold in Capitola, recently, almost bone chilling.

Madge was going on a quest. She was going to track down her father and get to the bottom of this. What was Capitola's soldiers doing to protect them from future attacks? Were they safe? Were their border's protected? Who attacked them and why? She had a million questions that she needed answers too and her father was the one holding all of the cards. Madge hopes this will soothe her, allowing her to actually get some rest and feel safe in her own home again.

She met Thom at the bottom of the stairs. For a reason unknown, she was startled by his presence. It was silly of her to think he would not be at his post. She almost wishes her father would move it back to right outside her door. And that's when Madge realizes – quite to her own despair – that her room was cornered, there was no other escape besides the one stairwell. Her stomach drops and she wrings her hands together, a worry line forming between her eyebrow.

"What is the matter, Princess?" Thom tilts his head over his shoulder, his gray eyes, some much like Gale's except it wasn't Seamlyn gray, connect with hers.

"N-nothing, Thom, where is my father?" He squints his eyes at her. She can see the wheels turning his head like clockwork as he pieces it together. She's afraid. It written in his eyes that he knows, but in true guard fashion, he says nothing.

"He's in his room, Princess. Would you like me to guide you there?" It wasn't like she didn't know where her parents' chamber was. She had been there a thousand times before, especially when she was little. Even Madge knows Thom was silently asking her if she wanted a form of protection with her. She was grateful for him – for Thom – because he always knew what she needed and never made a big deal about it, he was a friend. A really, really good friend.

She glances up the stairwell towards her door where she knows a sleeping, vulnerable Gale is resting. She considers telling Thom no, what if something happened to Gale while they walked the short route to her parent's room? But ultimately she decides Gale can take care of himself and no one is going to attack them this soon.

Thom offers his arm to her and she gladly slips her arm into his. Another guard moved from his post at the one of the many columns lining the walls. He had short cropped sandy blonde hair, big green eyes, and a medium frame. He had laugh lines surrounding his eyes even though he looked the age of Thom and Gale, give or take. He had hard features in his face, his collarbones were prominent against the black of his uniform and his skin was pale. He wasn't bad looking, but he would be something to look out for in battle. Madge could see the intelligence raging behind his eyes.

"Is there someone up there?" he points to the staircase that Madge had just descended, "Should I stand guard."

Before Thom could even move a muscle, Madge was says: "Yes, my fiancé is up there asleep." Vulnerable. The man's soft eyes lit up with understanding. He knew Madge's worry. It made her wonder if he had someone at home waiting for him in the mist of all this chaos. Did he have a family? She smiles generously back him, the weight, she didn't even know she had, lifts off her shoulders and suddenly she feels less queasy.

"Thank you." She whispers before allowing Thom to guide her to her parents' room.

They walked slowly down the screaming red hallway (opposite direction of what they took to escape the rampant army of men earlier) until they got to the alcove that would take her to her parents' room. Thom grabbed one of the torches that were stationed on each side of the entrance way before heading down. He goes first, but he keeps her arm in his. There was a small series of steep steps they had to descend first before they stumble into the tiny hallway. Madge knew there was an entrance to a safe place through here but she didn't know where it was. Someone had shown it to her once, but she had been very small then.

Madge often liked the way her parents' room was so hidden. So secret. The alcove was designed to look like something that would lead down to a servants chamber or maybe even the kitchen instead of a the King and Queen of Capitola's bedroom chambers. Much like Madge's, there was open wooden flooring down here instead of carpet in a dark finish. The further you travel down the hallway the brighter it got, it was designed so that no one would be able to see much, if any, light seeping up the small staircase. Madge's parents' room was at the base of the stairs. Their door was white with a big shiny U on it and you could see tuffs of blue carpet sneaking out from under the door. It wasn't unusual, though, a lot of rooms and doors looked just like this from the outside.

Thom knocks gently on the door. A high singsong voice calls through the door, "Who is it?"

"It is Princess Undersee and Thom."

Madge and Thom could hear movement inside the room. Madge imagines her mother getting up from her vanity and striding across the room in tall, confident strides. The Queen was sick, but you'd never know. Madge wasn't even fairly sure Gale knew about her sickness.

The door opens with a loud couple of snaps of locks and a soft click of the door leaving its frame. The Queen appears in a loose white nightgown that ties at the top. Her feet were bare and half her hair was tangled. Yes, she had been at her vanity as Madge suspected.

"Good morning." She smiles energetically at them. "And what do I owe the pleasure of my beautiful daughter and her favorite guard so earlier in the morning?" she asks, but not unkindly. That's one thing Madge loved about her mother; she was never mad or upset when you came to visit her. Well, unless you're the enemy, of course.

"Is daddy here?" Madge asks. Madge slinks her arms out of Thom's and shoulders her way into the room. She flops of her parents' large bed, her bright golden hair spraying across the pillows in a dramatic fashion.

"He's upstairs. Been there for a while." She says the last part out of the corner of her mouth like she would much rather have her husband here instead of up there. She sighs, "Shall we go see what he's up too? Thom, will you stand guard?" Thom nods and the two ladies head upstairs through the staircase by the bathroom and the vanity. The King and Queen's room was set up with multiple levels. The room they really use was up a couple of flights of stair, above the room they were just in and her father's private meeting room.

"You must be kidding? Please tell me you are kidding?" The girls stop on the staircase to listen. Queen Undersee's arm was blocking Madge's way up the stairs, "No, I'm being quite serious." Another voice said.

Someone, presumably her father, slams their hand on the table in the room loudly. "Seamlyn was attacked too…by the same people?" he says in disbelief.

"I do not know, sir. All I know is the lower section of their country is _burning_ uncontrollably. They have asked for assistance."

"We're spread too thin now; we have everyone on the boarder and around the country now. I don't have anyone to send to help."

"Sir, if I may…" there was a pause where Madge assumes her father nods, "I think you need to send someone or you need to offer refuge. You and I both heard the two Seamlyn natives at the meeting – one who is _engaged_ to your _daughter_. Seamlyn is mad, very mad, at Capitola and we need to show our support for our alliance. As that Finnick mate said, Seamlyn had been under attack for _months_ now with no sight in end. They can't take much more. Their entire country is falling apart! Their lower sections have been hurt so badly that King Hawthorne is looking for places in the better parts – even at the Castle itself – for places to put citizens. It's chaos there, and despite the fact that we attacked them, they're still in our alliance and they have been the most supportive and helpful in our circle. They've been in our corner without question for years. We need to honor that too. And they need help."

"So what do you suppose we do?" her father sounded tired and old. He was probably hunched over a table, the vein in his forehead popping violently.

"I'm saying we need to protect their people. Seamlyn might be a weak link in our alliance because they're small, financially unstable, and constantly under fire, but they still need help. On the contrary, we can't have Snowland _or_ Roseland conquering that land. We both know if either of them conquer Seamlyn we're in a world of hurt and we might as well surrender ourselves up. Either send help or offer refuge. These people need it."

Madge was hoping for both but she knew her father couldn't do both. It was a hard decision to make. Did Capitola want to enter the war against Seamlyn and protect them or stay as distant and out of the way as much as possible and offer quiet refuge? But even if they did offer refuge, where would they go? They couldn't possibly stay in the castle, at least not now after they have been attacked too. But it worried Madge that the Hawthorne's would run out of space to put everyone. But they also needed someone on their side; someone would at least help put out the horrible fires and try to save part of their country. The longer her father waited, the more Gale's country was diminishing. She wondered if he knew about all this. He must've, he was the future King.

A groan that displayed her father's indecisiveness and the pressures of his job vibrates the air. She watches him come into her view through the doorway; he takes a seat in one of the wooden chairs surrounding the old cherry table. All the while, as she watched his movements, her mind was on a fast track. What would Gale want? What would help Seamlyn the most? Is there any way that they could provide both, even if just for a little while?

Before her mother or her own two feet could say no, she found herself moving up the last couple of steps, "I think you should offer refuge for now, and in a few days' time you should send in a small group of elite military to at least assess the situation at hand."

"What – how long have you been there? Oh it doesn't matter!" he sighs deeply, running his hand over his face slowly as if he could wipe off the strains of these past few days, "Honey, it's not that easy. The less military we have on our grounds, the more open we are for attack."

"Daddy! They've been under attack for _months_ , _months_! They can't hold their ground much longer! They need our help! The majority of their country is falling apart and all you can say is "it's not that easy!" Dad, we've left them alone long enough to fight this war against them. It' time we show some support."

"They have asked for assistance, Adam. And you and I both know Marcus Hawthorne doesn't like to ask for help." Madge's mother steps into the room, her arms crossed tightly over her chest in anger. People have always told them they felt too much. They were too passionate, but Madge and her mother never cared.

"Millie…"

"Don't Millie me!"

"Like mother, like daughter…" the solider mutters under his breath. King Undersee shoots him a glare, although weak with exhaustion.

"At least do something, Adam, anything for those poor people. You're a good man, Adam; you'll make the right decision for us and for them, but please consider them."

"What if that was us, dad? Wouldn't you want someone to help you?"

The room grew quiet. No one bother to say anything else. Madge knew she should leave this up completely to her father, and a few months ago she would've. But now that she has gotten to know Gale and she has had firsthand experience of the worry that chains Gale awake at night because of it, she cannot find it in herself to be quiet. But she has said her piece and she shall leave it up to her father.

Her mind drifts back to Gale, asleep in her room in the dark. He had hardly said anything to her when he arrived, he was so tired. Then, she had assumed it was because of the long meeting he was in, but now, as she looks back, she can see that his shoulders were tense and he looked worried. War was a little too close to home for Gale.

There was a commotion at the bottom of the stairs. Everyone tenses. The soldier ushers Madge and Millie over to the other side of the table for better protection and makes them crouch down as to not be seen. There was yelling and pounding feet as they voices carried up the stairs louder and louder.

"Sir, you cannot just barge in here!" the voice sounded familiar.

"Gale! Gale! Stop it, will you! You're out of your mind, you're exhausted. Will you – will you just listen to me!" Thom screams. Madge sprints around the table to the doorway, ignoring the calls from the solider. Down a few feet was Gale in the lead with the guard who switched places with Thom and Thom rushing up behind him. Gale wasn't looking at her as he charges up the stairs, skipping every other one with his long strides.

He runs into her before she knew it, both of them toppling to the floor in a tangle of limbs. "I'm so sorry." Gale quickly says after they both groan. Madge pushes him off her playfully. Grinning, a laugh burst out of her.

"What?" he whispers, his own grin mirroring her own.

"I didn't know you were falling for me that hard!" Gale throws his head back and lets out a booming laugh, despite the tension in the room.

Gale leans forward, bracing himself on one hand and reaching for her chin with the other. He tilts her head down and plants a lingering kiss to her lips, "I've already fallen, silly. I love you more than you shall ever know." He whispers the last part so low she sure she's the only one that heard. A deep scarlet blush stains her cheeks. She ducks her head, her hair curtaining around her blushing face. He pushes her hair behind her ear before planting a kiss to her cheek.

He stands up. Stating, "I need to go home immediately." No reason to wait a moment…just jump right in…

Madge's eyes widen. He knows.

She doesn't know why she thought she could hide something as big as a major attack on an ally from him, but she wishes she could've. Looking into his eyes, she didn't like that look. It was a look of lust, lust for blood, not the lust she was used to seeing when their lips got a little too carried away. It scares her a little. She could almost feel the anger rolling off of him in waves. It was quite understandable, but she just wishes he wouldn't be so fierce about it.

"I cannot let you do that." Adam Undersee says. His voice was quiet, but it held an authority like no other. If she didn't know her father, she would be thinking that he had no sympathy for the Seamlyn native, that he was almost happy for the destruction of his country. But looking into her father's eyes, she saw a softness that was usually reserved only for Madge and her mother.

Over the course of the last few months, King Undersee had actually grown fond of the Seamlyn native, and couldn't be happier with his and Hawthorne's choice of Madge's husband. Not only was the marriage aligned to strength the alliance and build up Seamlyn, but it was meant to find a man that would love and cherish his daughter like she was the only sight of water after being in a drought for so long. Adam wanted the best, and only the best, for his one daughter. Eventually, they'd have to work out a ruler for Capitola (whether Madge came home to rule, or something else), but for now he was just happy the suitor was a good man with an excellence heart.

Which only made it worse that the man standing in front of him looked so worried and fierce at the same time. King Undersee can't blame the young man for wanting to go home, but it just wasn't safe for Capitola _and_ Seamlyn to allow him entrance into his birth country.

"And why ever not?" Gale looked appalled. How can they deny him? Did they really hate Seamlyn that much that they can't even allow Gale to go back and at least _help_? Every fiber of Gale's body wanted to pounce on the man, but he held himself back. It wouldn't look right if he did so, and there was a soldier standing by at ready that wouldn't even let Gale close to the King of Capitola. Why fuel the fire when you can't quench it?

So instead, Gale balls his fist and clenches his jaw so hard he's afraid his teeth will shatter.

"All transportation has been cut off to Seamlyn. Seamlyn has officially closed their boarders as of this morning." Adam tried to relay the information slowly and kindly. He knew the boy would be mad; it's why he didn't tell him the second he knew.

"I'm part of the government, a future King, I can do as I please."

"No, Gale, you cannot."

He narrows his eyes at the older man, his stomach tense with anger and his throat tight, filled with unsaid words of hatred. He was beginning to think Capitola was more of his enemy than his friend.

"Then what are you going to do about? If you will not let me leave, then what are you doing to help them? They need help!" Gale was screaming, his voice raw and his eyes burned with unshed tears. His country was going to ruins and he couldn't do anything about it. God, if he could help everyone in that country, make sure they are as safe as they can be, he would. Instead, he's been messing around with his fiancée and not giving a damn about his country. He knew this was coming, it happens at least once a month, and yet all he could think about, at the time, was Madge. He was stupid, so, so _stupid_. He wishes he could kick himself.

King Undersee sighs, he's heard the world 'help' _way_ to many times today and he was beginning to grow tired of it. He reaches up and kneads his forehead with his fingers, a headache was approaching and it was only morning.

Gale walks over somberly, great sadness in his heart, and kneels before the man. "King Undersee –"

"Adam…"

"Adam, _please…_ I need to go home. I need to help my people. They can _not_ do this alone. They're just civilians. You do not need to help us if you do not want, we don't expect –"

The King interrupts his again, "Yes, you do…"

"We won't think anything less of you. But you need to let me go home and try to help them. Keeping me away does nothing but harbor worry and hatred and sadness in my heart. I _need_ this, and if you do not let me, you know I'll find another way." His voice is barely above a whisper. He speaks slowly so the words can seep into the King's head. Adam looks over at Gale, his eyes tired and sad, he shakes head again.

"I cannot take the risk of crossing the border. It is too dangerous for anyone right now. Seamlyn is –"

"A war zone, I know." Gale nods his head angrily, his voice as hard as steel. Madge can see the weighted burden only become heavier as the minutes tick by just by looking at him. It's the first time she realizes just how hard Gale has it. Seamlyn is under attack, which means he is too.

"I can't, I'm sorry." Adam tries. He reaches out for Gale's shoulder to give a supportive squeeze, but Gale shakes it off.

"Yeah, you're sorry…" Gale murmurs sarcastically and gets up slowly and walks back to the door, offering his hand to Madge. "Shall we go back to bed, love?" Because she doesn't know what else to do, she takes his cold hand in hers. He wraps his around hers a little too tight, but she doesn't complain, she can feel his heated energy coursing through him. She knows he just needs time to process it, to accept it.

They are silent as they walk back to Madge's room. They take a detour, though, to the window that Gale and Thom sat at one night only a few days ago, although it feels like years by now. They sit close together, their knees touching, facing each other. Gale rubs his thumb over the back of her hand slowly, lost in thought for a moment. Madge watches him, afraid he'll break at any moment. The pressures of war were prominent in his body structure. She felt bad, but she knew he was safer here, even if he felt like the world was on his shoulders.

"You know I have to leave." He doesn't look up at her when he says this, he just continues to rub his thumb over her hand like this wasn't a big deal.

"You can't –" she gasps.

"I _know_ what your father said, Madge." His voice is tense again and she shrinks back against the wall. He only tugs her closer, their lips almost touching. "I _can't_ just _sit_ here and watch it fall, knowing I could've helped, Madge. It's my _country_. Why can't any of you understand that?" his voice had risen by the end of it. The only thing she could see was fire in his eyes, it was slowly consuming him.

"Gale, it's not that we don't understand. It's dangerous. You heard my father, Seamlyn closed their borders. That's bad, Gale, when countries close their borders."

"You act as if I don't know that!" he snaps at her, his eyes all fire and ice, not love or hope left in them. It's as if she was looking at a grave yard. Gale laughs a dry laugh, no humor in it at all. "Guess we won't be attacking Snowland, now."

She cocks her head to the side in confusion, her eyebrows colliding together in a furrow, "You were in the first place?"

"Yes, at least scope it out. To help protect us, well you."

"Gale…" she whispers, her hand gently gliding up his arm to his cheek, her thumb pads over his cheekbone lovingly, causing him to look up. His lips part. "Seamlyn will be alright. If I could do anything to help you I would." His eyes are glassy as he lets out a long, tired, winded breath. "I love you." She doesn't know why she added it, but she felt like it was needed, like _he_ needed to hear it.

"I love _you_." His voice cracks and she immediately draws him closer. He buries his face in her shoulder, her hands instantly clutching his hair. The burden on his shoulders has finally become too heavy for him to carry on his own. "Madge, I'm scared. For my family, for my people, for my country. Madge, I need to go home. I need your help to get me there." He sounded eager.

Madge's eyes widen at his implication. And now she knows why he took her here, to the alcove window, because no guards are stationed here. It's peaceful and quiet and isolated. No one would hear them…

"I – I…"

"Madge, please, for me."

"I – It dangerous!" Her own tears well up in behind her eyes, "Gale…no."

" _Madge_."

"I…I…Gale," she's shaking her head back and forth violently. Why doesn't he see how dangerous this is? Why doesn't he see how much this scares her?

"You know I'll go with or without your help."

She closes her eyes, hating herself the decision she's about to make. "Okay, fine." It's not like she was going to convince he to stay anyways. A brilliant smile cross from both corners of his face, his white teeth gleaming in the dark lighting of the alcove.

"We leave tonight." He says before pulling away from her completely and getting up, offering his hand to her once again. She takes it with a heavy heart.

They walk back to her room, crawling into bed so Gale can get a few more hours of sleep before they start planning.

…

"You," King Undersee motions to the soldier still standing in the meeting room. He glances over at his wife, his beautiful wife. She had her lips thinned out into a thin line, he knew that she knew she wasn't going to like what he said next. "Watch him, watch the boy."

The soldier and the King stare at each other, hard. There was no confusion on the task at hand. That boy would not leave this castle. At least not while King Undersee still had air in his chest and a beat to his heart.

…

Gale's pacing the room while Madge has a map of all the territories spread across her lap. She had red ink out and was marking up different paths they could take the sneak out the country and into Seamlyn's without military persona knowing. With Gale's advance knowledge of the military and (with help from the meeting last night) the placement of soldiers; they were slowly making progress on an escape route.

It was decided that Madge would go with him. They both knew she would worry too much here and vice versa, that it would just be stupid to leave her here. Although it made their plan harder, he was glad she was going. He had grown used to having her at his side for moral support. He hated to put her in the line of fire, but he couldn't leave her here either.

"We go East at first and then cut now Southeast to avoid border patrol." She offers.

"No, that wouldn't work. We have to go through the woods, there's no other way. It's just the question of _how_ do we get there without being seen."

"I could call Cinna and Portia to make us costumes to blend in with the citizens."

"Who?"

"It doesn't matter. Would it work?"

He considers the idea, "It might." He says slowly. Gale stops pacing for a moment; he turns to look at the beautiful girl wrapped in silks on her bed, her hair messy from stress. He takes in her complexion, the bags under her eyes show how exhausting this process is, but he could see it in her eyes that she was willing to help in any way she could. God, he loved this girl more than he should. She would be the death of him, he was sure of it. He just hopes she won't get him kill tonight.

She pats the bed beside her, "Come, I think we need a break." She lets out a big yawn. He sinks into the bed and lays back, staring at the ceiling. She pushes her fingers through his soft hair and watches as his eyes close shut. She continues this for a few moments, taking in the man that has a big heart, but not enough time to save the world. She didn't even know it was possible to love someone this much, but man if she could describe it, it would be explosive and magically and all out magnificent. She wondered if he knew just how much her heart swelled with love and pride the second he walks into any room.

But still, no matter how much she loved and trusted him, it didn't stop her from worrying. What would happen to them once they reach Seamlyn?

Once they had their plan devised, they curled up in bed together under the toasty covers, their arms wound safely and securely around one another. They were going to enjoy their last few hours of silence, of peace. This was only the calm before the storm, because, certainly, once they hit the Seamlyn border it was going to be chaos; maybe even before they hit the Seamlyn/Capitola border. They both just hope their plan works. It has to work this time, they will not be given another chance.

Gale was slowly tracing lax patterns on Madge's hipbone, while her fingers played with the curled edges of his hair. Neither one of them spoke, they didn't need too. No words needed to be passed between them for them both to understand what the other was feeling. Fear…excitement…worry…rebellion…love…hope…doubt…

Words would only ruin the moment, the silence that they would not be seeing or hearing again for a long time. Gale did not know how long they would be in Seamlyn, or even if they would make it to Seamlyn, but he knows, deep down in his heart, he doesn't want to see it, but he can't miss his chance. He knows the silence he finds there won't be silent, it will be filled with echoes of sorrow and lost and desperation.

Madge quirks an eyebrow at him, silently asking him what was wrong. He just shrugs. His eyes flicker over every feature of her face; she can only believe he is trying to memorize every last dip and bend of her face. She just wishes it wasn't because there was a chance they could be separated or worse yet, dead.

His squeezes her hipbone before pulling her towards him, his arms encircle her entire body while he crushes her to chest. He lets out a shaky breath, his nose nudging into her hair, smelling the fresh scent. Upon hearing his shaky breath, she only squishes him even closer, if that's possible. She can feel the tension and anxiety rolling off of him in waves as big as the ocean outside her window. She knows he must be scared, she knows she is.

Still, no one breaks the precious silence.

The darken room is peaceful, leaving them to their own thoughts about tonight and the events that have taken place in the last 48 hours. It's been a battle, that's for sure. So many things have been happening in such little time, Madge is surprised she is still standing upright after all of it. Not only that, but she's beginning to uncover just what exactly is happening in Seamlyn, something she's only heard about. She never even realized just how bad it was.

The raging wars and battles have all been passed around. But under all that is a country slowly being destroyed by so many things and yet it still stands. Everyone has been covering up the real story, they're only reporting on the attacks at surface level. If she and her mother never stopped to listen in the stairwell, Madge still would never have known just how bad it was. Even Gale was hiding the hideous reality that was Seamlyn's. And Madge couldn't help but that was unfair.

Here was man that put so much time and love and effort into trying to support Seamlyn and show that he was ready to rule, and yet the world just kept beating down on him and the country. No wonder he was stressed constantly. He was inheriting a country that was hardly standing and was losing so much ground by the day, by the _seconds_.

Gale was the first one to break the silence, "Do you think we should tell Thom? About our plan? Just in case something happens to one of us, so someone knows." He whispers into her hair, his hot breath scanning her scalp. She shrugs, not bothering to open her mouth. "I don't want anything to happen to you." He whispers.

"Nothing will, I can take care of myself, Gale."

"I know, but it doesn't make me worry any less." He nudges his nose down her head to her forehead, his breath fanning across the bridge of her nose. "I love you, you know that."

"You never stop telling me so." She tries to joke, but Gale doesn't even attempt to laugh. The situation is too heavy to laugh at such a simple joke, especially when you never know when the last time you'll say that to a person. Gale just wants Madge to know that he loves her; even in his dying breath he will love her forever.

…

Madge acts like nothing is going on at dinner. She continues to converse like they aren't hiding something, like they aren't going to go against the King of Capitola. Gale, on the other hand, is having a little trouble acting normal. He wasn't big for lying and he felt uneasy lying to the man and woman that would soon be his in-laws.

Every time Madge was sure Gale was about to slip or that he looked a little nervous, she would gently squeeze his hand to remind him that they had a plan and they plan _needed_ to stay between them. She notices the way Gale's eyes linger on Thom, his eyes would follow Thom as he made his rounds around the dining room. Madge didn't know what happened that brought Thom and Gale together, but it was clearly stronger than what she originally thought.

She leans towards him, her lips hot on his ear, "I know you what to tell Thom, but I don't think it would be a wise choice. He is loyal to my father before anything else, Gale." She leaves a sweet kiss to the sensitive skin just below his ear when she catches her father's eyes lingering on them. She kisses his jaw and chin, as well, for good measure.

She kicks him under the table, which Gale has learned means that Adam was watching them. He, too, leans into her, his head tilt so his forehead is almost touching her nose, "I agree, but I can't shake the feeling that he could help us." They both pull back and smile at each other lovingly until Adam looks away.

"I –"

"I know, not wise, but…it's just…I don't know. It's fleeting, but I still sense it."

She can sense that Gale is still nervous about her getting hurt, but they just can't risk it, "I'll be okay, Gale. We both will." He nods, "We should probably get back to eating."

They didn't talk the rest of dinner, both lost in their own thoughts, their hands entwined together underneath the table. No one would notice, but their knuckles were white from lack of blood.

After dinner, Madge goes to have tea with her parents while Gale excuses himself, saying he doesn't feel well and was going to go lie down. Gale feels fine, Madge knows this. But what she doesn't know is that Gale had other plans…plans that involve Thom.

He finds Thom the halls on his break. Thom had his arms folding behind his back and was sauntering down the hallway at a slow pace, not a care in the world. If he hears Gale coming down the hall, he doens't show it. Gale moves slowly towards the other man so he doens't draw attention to himself.

"Hey, hey, hey…" he grabs Thom's arm as he whispers. Thom's free arm instantly moves towards the sword resting on his hip, his eyes slightly widen. When he notices that it's just Gale, he eases his stance and his hand falls back to his side.

"Oh, Gale." His smile is friendly and light. He looks like he's ready to sit down and have a conversation about tea or useless politics, definitely not what Gale was about to tell him. Gale eyes the other soldier on duty, everyone seems to be nonchalant, but Gale knew their ears were perked. "How are you?" Gale doesn't answer; he just continues to look at every guard in the room. Thom's smile falters, "What –"

"Can I talk to you?" he whispers lowly, Thom nods, "Meet me at the window in five minutes, okay."

"Yeah, okay, but we should walk together _slowly_ ; we don't need them running to Undersee just because we're being secretive." It was like he already knew. Gale nods. They talk about Seamlyn as they walk. About the seasons (which was hard to enjoy when the wars keep ruining them) and the culture and the many types of people you would meet there. Thom even admits he wants to visit Seamlyn. Gale jokes he might just see it soon. It was heavy, but true.

They descend the small set up steps down into the alcove. Gale seems to spending a lot of time here lately. They sit in the darkest corner, just out of sight of the moonlight.

"You're leaving aren't you?" he doesn't even give Gale time to answer before he continues, "God damn it, Gale, I knew it. I haven't said anything to Undersee, but what about Madge? Have you told her?"

"The thing is, Thom…she's going with me." Thom's whole body awakens at that, his whole body becoming stiff.

"Are you _crazy_? You can't take Madge with you! That's like asking for your head to be chopped off in the square!"

Gale huffs, anger rising in his throat, he doesn't have much time to tell Thom this and he was only wasting it. "Will you just _listen_ , look…I wanted to tell you because I need to know that someone could help us if one of us gets hurts."

"So you're asking me? Gale! I'm the King's daughter's guard, don't you realize I have to tell the King about this!" Gale's hands are in the air in frustration before he even realizes it. Anger is boiling in his stomach now and his vision is becoming a hazy red color.

"Don't! I have to do this!"

Thom cuts Gale off, "Then leave Madge out of it!"

He turns away from the guard to breathe a few times, collecting himself. When he turns back Thom can see the fury flaring in Gale's eyes. Thom glances at the two exit points, wondering if he should sit here for the rest of it or he should just go tell the King now.

Gale's hand in on his arm, "Thom, _please_. Please don't tell anyone."

Thom's eyes closed, this was just too much for him. There was just too much at stake. But he liked Gale and he thought Gale should be allowed to go home. He wanted to help, but he knew he couldn't. Thom's family _needed_ Thom to have this job, if he were to be caught lying it would all be over.

"Please." Gale begs again, "For Madge."

"We are already doing too much 'for Madge,' Gale, I don't think we can do much more." He was trying to lighten the mood, but he was also looking for a way to get out this.

"Please." That was the only word Gale can say anymore.

After a long pause, "Fine, what do you need me to do." And so Gale spills out his plan – the route, the time they were leaving, the distraction, everything. Thom listens intently, especially at the part that he was needed to most so Madge and Gale could get out of the castle undetected.

"Go out the East door at 11. No later, no sooner. You're secret is safe with me." Gale doesn't know what comes over him, but he pulls Thom into a bone crushing hug for a long time.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Thom pats him on the back. "Yeah, well, just be careful, now. You understand me?"

"Yeah, mate, I understand."

"Protect her." Thom's voice is hard.

"I promise." They pat each other on the back before heading they own ways.

…

"Ready?" Madge nods at her fiancé. She was wearing a pair of forest green pants under her poufy, navy blue dress. In between the two layers she had a weapons belt with knives and arrows hanging from it. Don't even get her starting on what she had stored between her breasts, more things than she'd like to admit, but no one would suspect a thing there. Gale had Thom store backpacks outside the castle in the bushes, so that was good. Gale has a big jacket on with a bow slung across his chest under a sweater. He has knives hidden in his waistband, too.

Gale crosses the room to Madge, her hands are shaking. Gale has seen war a million times, but this is all new to Madge. He comes within inches of her. He takes her hands in his and tangles their fingers together and kisses her forehead lovingly. He tries to transfer every ounce of bravery and strength in him to her. His nose glides down her forehead, stopping at her temple.

"It's not too late to back out." She shakes her head no, she brings up their hands to level out at their chest, "You don't have to come, it's safer you here, anyways."

"No," she breathes out, "I will always be safer with you." She says. And despite trying to withhold his smile, it slips onto his face anyways.

"Alright, let's go." He says after a few minutes.

They sneak throughout the castle without any trouble, Thom did a great job. The first obstacle appears once they got outside the castle when a guard asks them what they were doing. They were lucky they haven't bent down to retrieve their backpacks from the bush. Thom appears as if out of thin air and waved the man off, telling the other man that he would watch them. Without question, the guard leaves and Thom follows them to make sure they made it out safely.

Once they reach the woods, Thom hugs them both tightly before letting them slip into the blackness of the forest. He doesn't linger by the woods; instead he goes back almost immediately towards the caste. His heart was pounding.

They mostly endure the forest without many complications. Madge ditches the dress in a hollow tree and Gale pulls out a jacket out of the backpack strapped across his chest. They only run into a few people while they move forward on their path. And luckily, they are able to hide from them. Only one person sees them, but they didn't stop or question anything.

They are slowly approaching the wall dividing the two countries, when they stop. Their clasps hands tighten around one another, they turn to look at one another. Gale was the first to begin climbing the wall.

It was now or never.

* * *

 **A/N: So what did you think about Part 5? So sorry it took me forever and there's not a lot of Gadge, but it needed to happen. Hope you're enjoying this so far!**

 **Shout outs: KatnissEverdeen77 and deab for the comment/follows/favorite!**


	6. Chapter 6: Part 6

**Part 6**

The woods in this area of Seamlyn are still dense and luscious. The furious fires still haven't reached this part of the many forests in Seamlyn and everything is still green and bright and _alive_. Gale's heart is still pounding in his chest in a quick _bump bump-bump bump_ rhythm. He hasn't even seen the worst of it yet, but he can feel the anticipation rising in his chest. He knows it going to be bad, worse than he has ever seen before.

He readjusts his grip on Madge's hand, but he doesn't look at her. She's looking at him, though, with worry blazing in her eyes. Don't get her wrong, she wasn't worried about being in Seamlyn or some barbarian come crashing out of nowhere. No, she was worried about Gale and the impact the sights they are bound to see will affect him. Gale's jawline was hard already, his teeth clenched.

"Are you ready?" she asks softly, too afraid that if she raises her voice anymore above a whisper that the world might shatter, or even he might shatter. Her words seem to knock him out of his trance because he stops looking at everything around them to look at her. He nods curtly, sharply.

He takes the first step, determination running under his feet. He feels at home among the woods and the stifling air of Seamlyn, but he knows his home is not his home. He was bound to come across burning debris and rough looking people. He knows Seamlyn isn't Seamlyn anymore, and it hasn't been for a while.

He feels like he's on a death march, each step he takes marks one of the last fresh places in the Seamlyn that could truly represent the beauty and simplicity of his home. Each step marks the last comforting spots here before he enters a wasteland. He is now unsure of his decision. He isn't sure he's ready to see the burnt _everything_ and the place falling to shambles, but he knows he has too. It's the only way to make his heart stop pounding in anticipation and his mind to settle from the constant worry that has ridden his every thought. This was his country, and soon enough he will probably be ruling it.

He's not even sure if his people will recognize him. Portia and Cinna really did a good job of making them look _normal_. His thick, black hair was slicked back under a weathered hat and he was wearing a trench coat. He looks nothing like himself. He doesn't look clean cut or made from royalty. He looks like he was possibly middle to middle upper class. Definitely not what his people would dare think of him as. But that made his job easier and more accessible to reach out to his lower people without them drawing away from him and his power.

They could smell it before they could see it. The air suddenly becomes heavier, drier, and harder to breathe with the thick grayish smoke wafting through the air like a cloud as thick as a blanket. Gale takes the rough hem of his peasant shirt and slips it over his nose to filter the air. Madge follows his actions, tightening her grip even more around his hand and grips the handle of a well-made knife in her other.

She doesn't know what she expected out of Seamlyn, but it wasn't this. For some reason, she had the image of a giant wildfire swarming the people and tearing down their homes like a tsunami, she imagined screaming people running everywhere. Ultimately, Seamlyn was calmer than she expected. They were close enough to smell the burning country, but she couldn't hear any screaming. She takes this as a good sign.

When they finally reach the outlining of civilization, Madge realizes she was a little too quick to dispute her imagination and instincts. There isn't any screaming people running around, no, there wasn't _any_ people around. The place was desolate and vacant, only the smoldering fires to welcome them to Seamlyn. Everything was crackling loudly as the old pieces of wood from the homes that barely stood was burning to a blacken dusk. There wasn't even a full house standing. Although they had several partially standing ones that the burning wood would soon destroy. It too would go up in flames.

Gale was pleased to see that his family was able to evacuate the people from their homes. He has no idea if they actually had a place to stay, but he was happy to know Seamlyn never left anyone behind. He pulls Madge behind him, murmuring quietly to be careful where she steps. They don't need one of them going up in flames like the homes of far too many people.

Gale's heart sinks in his chest at the thought of all the money that would need to go into the homes. They would definitely have to rebuild and reconstruct this area of Seamlyn eventually. The only problem was: Seamlyn was being attacked so many times in such short intervals it wasn't worth rebuilding for it to only being burned or bombed again. But that wasn't why his heart sunk. What makes his heart sink further in his chest is the amount of people that just lost everything. Madge and Gale entered the county in the poorest section, that meaning these people already had nothing to offer to anyone or themselves as it was, now their homes were gone and every memory and precious item with it.

How many people lost their lives and families because Seamlyn couldn't control the attacks against them? How many people are growing tired of the restless nights and constant worry that strikes every inch of Seamlyn? There has to be political unrest by now, Gale's sure of it. These people are already on edge, _Gale's_ on edge. How much longer before they have a rebellion, a civil war, on their hands. Gale isn't afraid to give up his throne, his position in the government, but they can't have two wars to fight and still keep the one of the enemies safe. Gale and his family would be the only ones fighting for Seamlyn. Just looking at the wreckage, the destruction, the lost hope makes Gale's stomach tighten in his abdomen and a funny feeling flares up in his chest, making it far too tight to be comforting.

Just seeing everything so torn apart makes him realize that he needs to appreciate the time he has left with his loved ones and the peaceful moments that never seem to last long anymore. Everything is so undecided, everyone but Seamlyn was holding their cards close to their chest. _They_ decide Seamlyn fate. _They_ decide what comes of the smallest country in their territories. Everything is so different now than it was just a short six months ago. Long story short: Seamlyn wasn't what it used to be.

"We need to keep moving." Gale whispers. He doesn't know why he whispers, there's no one around him to keep his words from, but he quiets his voice anyways, "We don't need to be caught in here when the place goes up in flames once again." There was a level of sadness to his voice that make Madge's heart ache. She can't begin to imagine want Gale must be feeling right now. She hasn't even dreamed, or even thought, of her country coming anywhere close to this.

"Okay." She squeezes his hand and follows closely behind. As they walk, more building collapses behind them making loud, booming sounds as they fall, causing the wind to crackle more with the sound of flames snapping. She cringes every time, just waiting for the sparks to fly out and catch her like thieves' hands. They walk in silence, quietly scanning the ground for the flattest spot to place their feet.

They walk for what feels like an hour or so, the broken ground crunching underneath their feet, before they come to cleaner part of the country. Gale says they're about an hour away from the castle. This area of the country you'd think would be slightly better, but the homes were still a beaten looking shape and a dingy gray color. Madge was slowly realizing Seam Gray doesn't just represent the most common eye color of the country, it represents _everything_. Gray was splashed against the roadways, the houses, people's skin (she sees the coal dust lingering on Gale's skin whenever he first arrived to Capitola), and the air even seems grayish. The country screams **WAR ZONE**. It was like a warning sign flashing everywhere you looked. **ATTACK ME! ATTACK ME!**

Even this part was burning. Not as bad as the poorest section, but this wasn't any better. The more they walked, though, the clearer the air was becoming and less the fires raged. Gale loosens his grip on her hand, wrapping it around her waist and drawing her closer so he wouldn't lose her when the first signs of civilization appear.

There is a white tent set off to the side with the government symbol on the top, printed in a shiny gold color. They move towards it, slipping under the white canvas to find it packed full of people. Everyone looks a little beaten up and exhausted, there's wasn't much hope lingering in the depths of people's eyes either. There wasn't a single table in sight besides the ones at the back of the tent with military persona behind it with aprons on and spatulas in their hands. Their guns are prominently puncturing against the dull white apron, leaving an air of authority. The civilians don't seem too worried about the big muscular guys in the back with weapons; instead they were worried about getting the food off their paper plates to their mouths without missing a drop.

Gale and Madge get in line with the rest of the civilians, not quite sure how they're supposed to go about this. They are in disguise, so without taking off everything and revealing who they were, the soldiers won't know who they are. Gale's eyes are constantly shifting, looking between Madge and the rest of them. His hand stays on the small of her back, his fingers tightening whenever someone gets too close.

"I don't like this." Gale mutters into her hair as she passes him a tray with a paper plate on it. It looked slightly used so he wipes the bottom of it with his sleeve. It could just be the coal dust lingering in the air, though. He doesn't like the thought of all these people gathering together in one place, it was only going to cause trouble. He fears that people are going to start sharing stories and desires and cause uproar. What else do these people have to do while they wait for the Hawthorne's to find them a place to stay? It also created a large target to anyone looking to destroy the country as a whole. They are small as it was now.

Gale was next in line. The soldier working the soup station smiles politely at him, motioning for Gale to stick out his tray. Gale does, although hesitant at the sight of the mushy soup that looked more like oatmeal than soup. It made a wet sound as it comes off the spoon into his bowl and Gale tries not to make a face, but he can't help it when he grimaces a little.

"It tastes better than it looks, I promise. I've tried it." The soldier says lowly. Gale nods sharply before untwining his arm from around Madge and moving forward in line.

As Gale moves down the line, however, he feels a pair of eyes on him. He glances up to see a pair of green eyes locking with his. The man was a soldier – currently stationed behind the fresh fruit – with fiery red hair and a goofy grin on his face when he looks at the little girl in front of him. His eyes don't leave Gale's for long. The second the little girl leaves to get her cup of water, his eyes land on Gale's again. They stare at each other for a long time before Gale recognizes him. His name is Darius and he was head of ground patrol at the castle. Gale's stomach sinks further down, the man was looking at Gale like he knew him too. It's a peculiar feeling for Gale not wanting to go home since he's home, but the more he sees of Seamlyn the more he wants to spend time out in the field in disguise to get down to the bottom of this without being known. He has a feeling that people will open up to him if they don't know his actual identity.

Eventually, he plans to go back to the castle, but he needs information. These people must have opinion on foreign policy and protection. Not everyone is inclined to let the government decide everything. Gale needs to find those people and report back to his father. All the while, he needs to keep on the down low so Undersee's forces won't rat him out or take Madge back to Capitola. Even though – to Gale – it seems too dangerous to steal her away for him since she's already here.

Gale keeps his head down when he reaches Darius' station, simply grabbing a red apple and leaving as soon as possible. Madge selects a small bowl of strawberries before turning around and looking for a place for them to sit. The place is packed full. Everyone has clumped together into friend and family circles. She glances over at Gale for directions but he simply shrugs. He doesn't know any of these people. He only left the castle for national holidays and other smaller events.

Madge balances her tray on one arm and hooks her other through Gale's, taking her cup of water from his tray as she goes. She walks among the people carefully until she finds a little old lady with a group of small children and a few older people. She taps the woman on her shoulder, "Excuse me," the woman looks over her shoulder, looking at Madge a little skeptically at first. The woman had bright blue eyes that startles Madge, she was so used to the gray, "We've seemed to have lost the people we know. Do you mind if we sit with you?"

The man across from them whispers something that sounded a little like: "What are they even doing here; they don't live in this part. I mean, _look_ at their clothes." Madge doesn't look over at them, instead just keeps her eyes on the woman. The man who had been spoken to looks down when he says: "I don't know. They just walked in. The boy looks familiar, but I don't know where I've seen him before."

The old woman, however, smiles. "Sure thing, sweeties. Have a seat!" she gestures to the only space Madge and Gale could squeeze in. Madge ends up sitting next to the old woman and Gale next to the little girl with sandy brown hair that cascades down her back in long, frizzy waves. They eat their dinner in silence, listening to the small group talk about nonsense for a while.

One moment to the next, the old woman – who they found out name is Giselle – places a soft hand on Madge's knee. She smiles softly at the Madge before shifting her eyes to Gale, "So how long have you two been married?"

"We, uh…" Madge stutters.

"Just recently." Gale picks up for her. She whips her head around and smiles, but he could see her questioning his answer. He can't blame her, he's wondering why he said it, too. But at the moment, it felt right. Not only does it help protect them both from detection, but it will help gain favor from citizens. Who wouldn't want to help a newlywed couple that just lost everything?

Giselle's eyes light up instantaneously, a spark of excitement flickering the edges of her blue eyes. She really had captivating eyes, wisdom and life brightening them. A small smile grips the old woman's lips, a soft look of reminiscing crossing her face as if she is remembering her own wedding. Gale glances down to see a dull, silver ring glinting on her marriage finger.

When her eyes refocus on them again, "How exciting!" she says softly like it is the best thing that she has heard in a long while, and who knows maybe it is. "I remember when I got married. It was _so_ long ago, but it's like it just happened yesterday. When he was young and alive, he has the most beautiful eyes and he was _so_ intelligent. You know who he reminds me of?"

"Who?" Madge eggs her on.

"The Prince!" Gale stills, his heart pounding. Was his planning already falling to shambles?

"Which one?" Gale forces his best political smile and leans forward, his elbows resting on his knees.

"Gale." His name comes out smoothly and with great admiration from the old woman. It rolls off her tongue like a wave rolling through the ocean – fluently and gracefully. "That boy – that _boy_ – he has just a quiet intelligence running in him. Just like my Henry, the Prince just gives off waves of wisdom beyond his years and a presence of scholarly intellect, but he never come off as studious or rude. Both Henry and the Prince's intelligence go underappreciated."

Madge tries to fight the oncoming smile trying to slip on to her face, but she can't. It warms Madge's very heart to know that Gale's people sees what she sees in Gale. "I can see that. He's very intelligent." Gale's ears are burning.

"Oh, I wish they would let the boy speak more! He could probably fix this whole mess! He was born to be in the military, I swear to you he is. He was born to save this country."

"I've always gotten the impression he didn't want it. The throne." The man who had asked where the pair came from says.

"Oh shush, James!" Giselle flicks her wrist at the man, dismissing him.

This is it. This is Gale's chance to get what he came for, "And what do you suppose he do?"

"The Prince? I think we just need him in the Castle directing the military. There's a bunch of looney heads in there now. Prince Gale would get us out of this, I'm sure of it. No worries, sweeties, Prince Gale will save us."

Gale feels ill. Giselle has so much hope for him to save the country, but Gale's has no idea what to do. He glances around again, his eyes lingering on the exit and Darius. Could he really save the country from its inevitable destruction?

…

Nightfall hits them like an avalanche. One moment the sky was fading into pinks and blues and pastels and the next pitch black. As the pale sky slips over the horizon, the people start becoming restless and worried. Gale finds himself looking in the same direction as the rest of the people, with the same worry befalling the pit of his stomach. In the distance you can see the smoldering wreckage of the attack. Although it wasn't, to the Seamlyn natives it felt like the world was burning in horrible, blazing flames of hellish fire.

Everyone gathers at the opening of the tent, looking at the orange glow or looking at each other for answers that no one had. Only God knows how much more they have to repent for whatever mortal sin they committed to deserve this.

Gale draws Madge closer than ever, their sides pressing firmly together. He buries his face in her billowing hair to shield his eyes from the horrible picture painted in front of him. If only it could be a picture instead of reality. He lets out a shaky breath against her neck; he leaves a sweet kiss to her neck.

"I just wish it wasn't like this." her arms tighten around him like she could shield him from these horrors, but nothing can. This was reality, not some bad dream concocted in his head that she could sooth with sweet nothings and kisses. His nose trails up her neck and cheek, his eyes still closed. "I have a bad feeling, Madge. A very bad feeling about tonight."

"I know, I have it too." It was a sinking feeling. One that you could slowly feel dipping below the surface of the water, slowly drowning in the depths the crashing waves to never be seen again. It was anticipation and reality versus hope raging against each other like fire against ice. Only one could win and reality will crush hope every time, no question. Hope can put up a good fight, but reality was just stronger and tougher than hope. The difference between hope and reality was that hope is fleeting and reality is permanent.

Gale was almost positive there would be another attack tonight. He just wishes hope brings its best fight tonight.

…

Gale leaves Madge to fetch their small ration of bedding from the soldiers to take a moment outside. It was stuffy in the tent with every one so close together, but it was the only thing that provided stable shelter within miles, so no one was inclined to leave. The night was cooling down significantly, but nothing too low. There was a gentle wind flowing, lifting Gale's sweaty hair off his neck the second he steps outside the tent. He gives one last good look at the smoldering debris before turning his back on it and heading around the tent.

The scenery wasn't much different here, minus the smoldering flames. Dark sky, dark night, dark homes. There wasn't a light to be seen anywhere, not even a burning candle in a windowsill. The whole place was a gloomy as Gale feels. But there isn't anything he can do about it.

Gale pulls his jacket tighter around him and folds his arm across his chest. It wasn't that the wind was cold, he just feels like the world was slowly sucking the life out of everything and somehow his jacket would lessen the fading light inside him from disappearing so quickly. He can't remember a time when Seamlyn was this bad – so financially unstable, under constant, rigorous attacks, and so _…_ so _dead_.

But before he could dwell on it any longer, a large hand with slender fingers comes down on his shoulder. He tries to pull away from the hand but it just tightens and forces Gale to turn around. Standing in front of him was Darius, the soldier who's eyes never seem to lose sight of Gale Hawthorne.

"Can I help you?" Gale tries to put on his best confused act, but he was sure the man across from him could see the worry and alarm blazing in his eyes.

Gale doesn't know Darius very well, only spoken to him once at his induction in the Royal Family staff, but Gale gets the feeling Darius isn't one for nonsense. And he was certainly proving it now.

"I know who you are."

"Well…that's good. Wouldn't want you to think I was the enemy." Gale rolls his eyes, trying his best to play off the joke expertly, but his cool was slowly slipping out of his control and he could feel the terror settling in. He never was good at lying. What was Darius going to do to him? Darius has always given off a gentle approach, but now he looks furious and it frightens Gale a little. He can't talk his way out of this one; he never has been good with words.

"Prince Gale, you _need_ to go _home_. It's far too dangerous out here for you to be taking comfort among these people." Darius talks slowly as if Gale wouldn't comprehend it any other way.

"These people – _these people_ are _my_ people and I need to take care of them. I can't do that without knowing them. I am needed here –"

Darius takes a step closer, effectively silencing Gale, "You can do that from the castle."

"And how has the worked out for us so far? Clearly we don't know what these people need besides the basics: shelter, food, and water. We can't keep doing what we are doing to protect them…" Darius cuts him off again, making Gale even angrier. You never interrupt royalty.

"We are working on something, and you're needed there."

Gale's hands fly up, anger boiling in his stomach like molten lava erupting from a volcano. "And how has that work for us? Huh? We haven't achieved anything, but these people might have ideas. We _need_ those ideas, we riding the thin line between perishing and thriving!" He turns away from the soldier to clear his head for a moment. He hugs his trench coat closer to his body and closes his eyes, focusing on the wind whipping passed his ears instead of the infuriating man that knows nothing.

"We leave in the morning." Gale doesn't argue with the man. It would be pointless, he would achieve nothing besides let his anger get the best of him. _Isn't that what the people hate about you, Gale, your anger? You're supposed to be working on that._ He doesn't turn around to watch Darius leave; only hearing the crunches of gravel and debris as he walks away.

Although he knows there are others watching him, no one else comes over to him. Soft, warm hands wrap around him from behind, a dash of blonde hair peeking around his shoulder. "Are you coming back in anytime soon? I think they want everyone inside and lights out soon." He nods, leaning back against her. "You okay?" he shakes his head no, but doesn't elaborate. He can't lie to her because she knows him too well and would know he was lying, but he doesn't feel like elaborating the complicated mess of Darius.

The two of them end up sleeping on a shared piece of thin fur with the other one's thrown over their hips. Despite the smoldering wreckage not too far from away, the temperature is dropping significantly. Madge couldn't see Gale in front her – it was far too dark for that – but she could feel him shaking underneath their thin blanket. She runs her hands up and down his arms and moves her legs in between his to warm him up, but it doesn't seem to be helping.

"Are you okay?" she whispers.

"I'm freezing. How are you not freezing?" she could hear his teeth snapping against one another as he talks and shivers. She raises her hand to his forehead and gently presses the back of her hand against it to check for a fever. He didn't feel hot, although he was giving off a large amount of heat. He has always been warm, but apparently he's giving off too much heat right now. It worries her a little to think that he might be coming down with something. It makes her want to wrap him up and run off to the castle immediately so they could have a doctor look at him straight away. She knows it's useless, Gale's already planning a getaway plan.

"You tell me if you don't feel okay, alright?" He curls more into her, drawing her petite body closer to his medium frame and snuggling his face into her neck. He nods against her hair while he lets her warmth seep into his bones.

Not long after that do they slip into a dreamland.

…

 _ERRRT…ERRRT…ERRRT…_

They're awoken by a sound of a very loud alarm going off. The soldiers are stationed at the tent's makeshift door, all of them looking out into the too bright night. It couldn't possibly be past midnight, but the sky was a screaming red and yellow.

 _ERRRT…ERRRT…ERRRT_

The second time it goes off, Gale groggily lifts his head to look in between the soldiers' legs to the outside. His vision and mind are foggy from the linger effects of sleep and his mental process is slow, but he knows something isn't right. He cranes his neck to look at the other civilians to find most of them sitting up in their beds with a look of pure terror in their eyes.

It hits Gale like a bomb designating.

"Shit!" he exclaims, gather Madge in his arms and forcing her to sit up. Her eyes that we half closed are now fully open. She looks like a deer caught by its predator.

"What do we do!?" a young girl, no older than 15 with dirty blonde hair and a scar lacing her cheek cries out, her eyes instantly connecting with Gale's like he knows all the answers in the world.

"Get up!" the soldiers bark worriedly, "Get up, head toward Bomb Shelter 2, stay together, and move _quickly_." The soldiers begin to forcefully pull half-awake civilians up and start pushing them out the door. "Move, move, move!" they chant.

Darius is the first one to reach Gale and Madge. He yanks Gale up by his shirt collars and spits in his face to follow the rest. He shoves Gale and his group towards the opening of the tent.

"That way, sir, follow the line of people. And remember to be safe. Everything will be alright!" another soldier says as he pushes Gale and Madge towards the beeline of people heading straight for the far end of North Street where Bomb Shelter 2 was located.

The ground is crunching crazily under Gale's feet as he pumps his legs as fast as he can. He has Madge clinging to his back wildly as he tries to get them down North Street as fast as possible.

"Gale! They're almost here! They're almost here!" she cries, every word dripping with petrifying terror. "They can't get all those people out!" she buries her face in his neck and he can feel her trying to take deep breaths to calm her nerves. The second her words hit his brain like a brick he stops dead in his tracks. "Gale?" she whispers, her voice full of confusion, worry, and terror all wrapped into one. He shrugs her off and swings her around to face him.

"You need to get the Shelter 2. Run as fast as you can, Madge, and don't look back." Her hands instantly grab onto his jacket, her fingers white knuckling the edges.

"Gale." She whispers, tears slipping down her face. He ignores her tears and glances at the sky, fighter jets are hot on their tails. "Gale, please." She knows what he's about to do without him telling her. He always plays the hero, she thinks sadly. "Gale, please don't do this, _please_."

He cups her face frantically, leaning down to kiss her deeply. "I love you, Madge. Remember that, okay? _Remember_ that. I'll be back, but just in case I'm not…" he stops midsentence and sweeps her off her feet romantically and kisses her as deeply and as lovingly as he can. There aren't any words strong enough to describe the feelings he trying to convey through his lips. He wants her to feel strong, so he pushes every ounce of strength he has into her. "Go." He whispers as he places her back on her feet, shoving her towards the end of the street.

Gale races off back down the street towards the incoming jets and the tent.

Madge feels lost without her partner by her side, but most importantly she feels terrified. Giselle, who had lingered behind her group to wait on Madge, ushers Madge to move faster down the street. They both glance up at sky, watching the sleek, shiny, black bullet shaped bombs drop from the sky. The bombs land with such great force that it leaves a ringing in their rings and the ground underneath their feet rumbling. Clusters of pebbles come free from the cobblestone beneath them, creating an unsteady path to run on.

"Come on, sweetie! Faster! We don't have much time left to get there and we don't have a long way to go!" Giselle – despite her age – was an extremely fast runner, prodding Madge to move as fast as they can.

Giselle reaches the shelter first, going halfway down the steps before realizing Madge hasn't followed her down. "Madge!" she cries!

Madge, though, doesn't may any mind to the kind old woman yelling for her. She lingers tightly against the door frame, hugging it, and looks out towards the white tent she can no longer see. Her heart aches painfully in her chest as she watches more and more bombs drop and more and more fire light up, heading straight towards the love of her life and the innocent people that don't deserve this.

Giselle doesn't allow Madge another second of lingering, forcefully taking her arm and dragging her down the stone cold steps. Down…down…down…They goes down so many steps that Madge's legs feel like jelly by the time they enter a steel incased room that smells horribly of metal, sweat, and fear. Giselle guides her to their group and draws Madge close to her side like a mother would. She runs her fingers through Madge's hair gently, trying to calm the younger one's nerves.

Madge stares into the eyes of the young girl with the frizzy brown hair and wonders how someone so young can be so calm in a situation like this. The young girl gives her a smile, saying, "Your husband will be okay. He's strong."

Madge smiles sadly and offers the young girl a nod even though she doesn't quite believe her. She wants too, she wants to _so_ badly, but Giselle was right: _they_ didn't have much time to make it to the bomb shelter, how was _Gale_ ever supposed to make it in time.

Madge can't take it any longer. She releases the waterfall of tears and horror from inside. She sobs.

She sobs like she never has before.

* * *

 **Shoutouts: Gabbeatriz, superwholock7033, and girlonfire5360 for commenting, favorites, and follows!**


	7. Chapter 7: Part 7

**Part 7**

By the time Madge finishes crying, she feels like she can't breathe, like all the air in her lung have been sucked out by a vacuum. It leaves her feeling dry, heavy and _hallow_. She doesn't know what to do with herself. She tries to ignore the way her heart beats rapidly in her chest at the speed of lightning, or the way her breaths rattle in her chest with each shaking inhale and exhale as she hugs her arms around her body to keep herself from falling apart. She tries to – unfortunately – focus on the sound of the air raid above them, the steady sound of bombs dropping at a constant rate _boom…boom…boom…boom._ It never fails to come, just a constant sound like a clock ticking.

She counts. 1…2…3…56 bombs have fallen so far on the country of Seamlyn. _Is this what living in Seamlyn is like – the constant fear of attacks, the constant_ sound _of destruction, the constant, quiet recession that everyone turns a blind eye to?_ Madge couldn't imagine living in such a turbulent place, one filled with so much sorrow and grief and lost hope. She glances around at the people around her to find some people's eyes dead, lost in the sea of their own thoughts and sorrows. The tension in the room was tangible like she could reach out and snatch it from the air. It was like electricity running around in a quick frenzy, connecting the people together, the quiet snaps and cracks and fizzles of it leaking out of everyone's pores. You can tell this isn't the first time these people have been stuck in these bunkers and, by the looks of it, it won't be the last time they see the stainless steel encasing with the heavy scent of fear and exhaustion so deep underground.

No one smiles or laughs or cracks jokes to lighten the mood. The North Street bunker is eerily quiet tonight. So quiet all Madge can hear are the soft breaths around her, a few sniffles from young girls like her who are afraid of what's to come, and her heart beating against her rib cage. Like the bombs, her heartbeat is rapid but steady, constant. That's all she has right now: Constants (the things that will never fail to be there) and Non-constants (the questionably, heartbreaking terror that runs through her veins like wildfire). Constants: the bombs dropping, her heart beating, the sniffles, the silence. Non-constants: the total death toll, Gale's safety, and the time they will spend inside the bunker. The non-constants are like "what ifs." That's what Madge's world is made up of now: What Ifs. And it's no fun.

Giselle grabs Madge's hand and encases it with her old, worn hands. She rubs her thumb along the backside of Madge's in a motherly way that makes Madge's chest hurt. What she would do to have her mother here right now. God, probably a million things just to feel the warmth seeping from her mother's skin into hers, or to hear the beating of her heart against Madge's ear as she cries about the uncertainty of the future. But she doesn't have that. No, her mother is probably in her bed, just hearing the news of the newest attack on Seamlyn with tears in her eyes as she waits to hear about her daughter. By now, there would be no question about Madge's whereabouts, only worries about her safety.

Her chest feels tight again and tear begin to well up in her eyes. She so sick of crying and looking like a fool in front of a bunch of people she doesn't know, but she can't stop her heart from breaking over and over again. Each breath she breathes comes out tight and strenuous. She scrubs furiously at the traitorous tears running down her face and keeps her eyes glued to the cold metal underneath her.

Giselle pulls Madge to her chest, stroking her hair in soft caresses of comfort. Madge continues to cry, counting bombs as she goes, wondering if Gale would ever return.

Stupid him, so ever foolish. She is tired of his bravery; it costs her too much heartache and anxiety. If only he would realize he can't always be the super hero, the prince in shining armor.

…

The guard at the door announces an hour has past. The fear is palpable among every one of them. Such simple words to utter and yet it builds a giant, roaring fire of uncontrollable terror among the crowd. Glances are passed around and Madge has had enough training to spot fear in a millisecond. These people have been going through this for years and yet they still feel the fear as if it was the first time. Madge can't even begin to imagine what it's like for them. All she knows is the terrors is deeply rooted inside and with each new, quicken heartbeat a new bomb falls. She can only imagine this isn't as bad for them as it is for her, but looking around she can tell this has been the longest air raid recorded.

 _But who could have such an unlimited supply of bombs to drop? And why keep going? Seamlyn as they know it is always eradicated to nothing but rumble and darken memories._

A few guards go around with boxes of crackers and measly bottles of water, but no one complains. One just takes his or her share and nibbles on it quietly while they pray and hope their loved ones are safe and sound. Madge takes her small sleeve of crackers and tears it open. She nibbles on a few bites and takes a few sips of water before she sets them both down and curls up on the floor. She's dreadfully tired by now. She lays there and sniffles, allowing her breathe to catch onto an imaginary wall as each one shutters out of her chest. She bites back the feeling of tears and shuts her eyes, forcing herself to drift off, even if it's just for a little while.

…

She wakes up to a dull gray interior and the sound of the bunker door being banged on. Flashbacks from all those months ago with Gale and Finnick come back vividly and she allows a small sliver of hope to fill her chest. Gale is here and he is fine. Or so she hopes. But still, her heart squeezes painfully in her chest, just waiting for the worst to happen.

All though her vision is blurry with sleep and her hearing is muffled, she can hear soldiers yelling out orders loudly in some strange communication through the door. Madge can barely hear "1-12-1-12 Royalty" before the door is opened quickly, the metal slamming so hard against the wall it puts a dent in it, and a large group of bloody and dirty men come stumbling through. Their breathing ragged with exhaustion, and coughing harshly to get all the smoke and debris out of their lungs.

All the them seem to hover around one slender man. He was hunched over coughing wildly. So wildly one could see the way his back arched with each body slamming cough. Even through the disarrayed pack of dirty soldiers was so closely knit it was hard to distinguish where one ended and one started, Madge finds that her eyes glued to one man in particular. The slender one in the middle as he started to rise.

If she wasn't so attune to Gale's figure and the way he moves, she might have missed him, but she can see his rough peasant shirt peeking out around a bloody rag pressed against his side. Soldiers flank him, worry blazing in their eyes. _They must protect their future ruler_. Hands goes out to steady him, but he brushes them off and searches the room. Madge stands up, looking for a passageway to him, but finding none.

His eyes light up the instant they connect with hers. He smiles. The damn fool smiles!

The crowd parts for him like the Red Sea as he moves closer to her. The soldiers yelling at him not to move, but he pushed on. A second later she's in his arms, his nose nudging her hair out of its way. His hug is fierce and protective and Madge has never felt anything better in her entire life. Her heart is beating just as rapidly as his is and tears of pure relief stream down her face like a soft rain.

"Well, I guess my cover's blown." He mutters as he pulls away to look into her bright blue eyes of wonderment. The words: 'Prince,' 'here,' and 'why' toss around the room like an earthquake. She lets out a shaky laugh and swats at his chest, "What?" he teases, "Were you _actually_ worried about me?" his chuckles runs deep in his chest, although it is quiet.

"I hate you." She mutters before launching up on her toes and pulling his foolish head toward hers. "I hate you so much," she mutters and in seconds his soft lips were on hers and she felt a whole lot better. Only when she pulls away does she have to face the grim reality that is him.

She tugs on his bloodied shirt, a look of worry crossing her face as her heart sinks again, "What happened?" she whispers so quietly. She absolutely terrified of the answer, so absolutely terrified. She can't imagine the wound that could cause so much blood flow, but it's clearly on his shirt, soaking deeply through. It is sickly warm against her dress as it seeps through hers. The shirt was completely wasted, but hopefully he wasn't.

He glances down, looking slightly startled, "Oh, nothing. It isn't even my blood, Madgie." When he looks up at her his eyes fill with unshed tears and pain takes a stake in his eyes. His breathing becomes laborious as he tries so hard to control his inner turmoil. He manages a weak, watery smile, "We lost a man," he chokes on his words, "a soldier, Madge." He takes a shaky breath inhale and exhale, squeezing his eyes shut, "I knew him." He croaks so softly it was a whisper. Pain lances his every word and Madge's own chest feels a deep ache.

The world seems to swims in front of her as she imagines all the people he has ever told her about. Was it Finnick or someone else? Dread fills the pit of her stomach like a hot, burning lump of coal. She's petrified to even ask, but she does, she has to know, "What was his name?" she whispers, closing her own eyes in order to lessen the blow. She grips his shirt sleeves tighter, pulling him ever so closer.

"Officer Boggs." The name means nothing to her, but it clearly means something to Gale. But like the ruler he will be someday, he straightens his shoulders, wipes under his eyes, and plasters on the fakest smile he can muster and damn is it impressive. Only she can see the way his heart breaks under the façade.

And like any great ruler would, he addresses his people have a long and hard battle.

"My people," he begins, forcing an even brighter smile on his face, "I'm so glad to see so many of you here, safe _and_ sound. Although it is frightening, it is a wonderment that so many of us continue to survive, to strive, to _live_. Although we are not completely sure why or who continues to attack the great people and nation of Seamlyn, we know one thing: We will survive. And if we burn, they will burn with us." A small cheer goes around the room, "Yes, some of you are surprised I am here at all, but I want you to know one thing: I will never leave you stranded. In times of great struggle, we just remain united like we are now, like we will be until the end of time!" he walks in a small circle in order to face everyone in the room as he talks, "We must survive in order to live. And we must live in order to reign. And we must reign wisely to show our enemies that we will not perish! We, as a small nation, are powerful in our own way! We show resilience in times of death and war. We show compassion in times where no one shows _us_ compassion. And we stand tall when the game, the odds, are not in our favor. Do not, I repeat, do not lose hope. We cannot bear to lose hope when it's our last weapon. A weapon that is greater than any sword made of the finest metal."

The room is stunned into silence. That doesn't deter Gale from standing with his back straight and his head held high. Although the silence is heavy, it holds the strength of a thousand bolts of lightning and the courage of a million brave men and women. Yes, the fight, the war, may not be over, but Seamlyn will not go down without a fight.

Giselle, ever so motherly, grips Gale's elbow softly, guiding him towards their group so he can sit down and rest after his speech. Madge notices the look of concern on Giselle's face, whose is focused on Gale's. Quickly turning her head back around, she notices too that Gale's face is a little pale. She didn't notice before, blinded by the pure joy of seeing him standing on his own two feet and watching the ruler come out in him. But now, the surprise and joy has worn off and she can finally see the exhaustion pushing his shoulders down, the dark, heavy circles under his eyes, and his pale complexion under all the dirt and dust caked on his face from the battle raging above their bunker.

Madge takes his other elbow and helps a heavy footed Gale maneuver through the crowd to their small circle. He sits down and Madge slides in behind him, wrapping her warm legs around his hips snuggly and wrapping her arms tightly around his middle. He leans back against her chest, his head lolling off her shoulders, his eyes staring straight up to the artificial light illuminating the bunker. He sighs and snuggles closer to her, the scene of Boggs' death playing on repeat in his mind. Over and over and over again…

"Are you sure you're alright, love?" Madge mutters into his shoulder. Despite the heavy smell of gunpowder and dirt and blood, he stills smells like himself. A strong scent of peppermint swirls off him into her nose and she finds comfort in it. He moans something out, letting his eyes drift shut and letting the weight of sleep press down over him like a warm blanket. She says something else, but he doesn't quite catch it for he's already nodding off.

When Madge looks up at her group, everyone is staring at her – or more at _them_ , but he's already sleeping. Their eyes are wide set on their faces and some have even gone slack jawed. Madge doesn't know where to begin. There must be a million questions flying through their minds and on the tip of their tongues. The small lies they strung together for the short time they've been here have all unraveled into a big mess like a ball of yarn. Gale and Madge were no longer the newlywed couple that just lost everything due to the bombs. They weren't in need of someone to take them in when they have a big palace waiting for them in the best part of Seamlyn. And they definitely weren't poor. Oh no, they had more money than they know what to do with, at least in accordance with the people surrounding her.

Her heart sinks in her chest. Like these people didn't already have trust issues with their government. Now they find out they have a government leader hiding amongst their mist, and for what reasons?

"What…"Giselle starts and then closes her mouth to formulate her thoughts into words and her words into sentences. Even she doesn't know what to say, "What…You're not…" she scratches the back of her head and absentmindedly pulls the little brown haired girl closer, "You're the Princess from Capitola, and…and he's…he's the Prince of Seamlyn…Prince Gale."

Madge nods.

"Why are you here?" the man that questioned their arrival earlier, James, barks. His thick eyebrows are pulled together roughly, a thick crease forms between his eyes. His eyes are on fire with rage and disappointment and mistrust. The longer it takes Madge to answer the harder he tightens his jaw and the more his hands slowly creep into fists.

"We're here to help," James huffs out an accusatory breath, not quite believe her. She ignores it, "Gale wanted to help you, but he was afraid you would recoil away from him if you knew his true identity. _He_ needs your help just as much as _you_ need his. The government is struggling to help stop the attacks on Seamlyn. Gale was hoping you had ideas to implement…We didn't mean to lie." She adds the last part quietly. She didn't want them to be repulsed by her or Gale, especially Gale. You know how bad it would be for them to reject Gale? The entire country would fall to shambles, and whoever is attacking them would surely hop on the idea of dominating the country. Seamlyn wouldn't be Seamlyn anymore…but is it now?

"He's far too valuable to be here. And he's just a kid, as are you! You shouldn't even be here. This shouldn't even be in your line of work. You're much too young to deal with strategies of war." The man next to James, Arthur, says, his anger growing with every word.

Madge has no reply. She feels like she losing them already.

"I…" Madge starts and trails off. What do you say to a group of people that think you're still too young to hang out with the older kids? Don't they realize Gale and Madge are about to the age where coronation is right around the corner? On top of that, Madge doesn't know or understand why Gale decided he wanted to stay incognito. To her last recollection, all Gale wanted to do was _go_ home, to be with his people and help to the best of his ability. She didn't realize that meant _literally_ with his people. As much as she supports his decision, Arthur is right; it is far too dangerous for someone like Gale to be the bunkers of lay people, surrounded by more dangers than he would be at the castle.

"I…" she starts again.

The little girl places her hand on top of Madge's, "It's okay. There's nothing anyone can do for us." She shrugs, "This is just what Seamlyn is like. There's no saving us," she nods toward Gale, "not even he can save us." A grim look crosses her face briefly; she squeezes Madge's hand once before curling up against Giselle's chest.

Madge wishes there were words of wisdom and encouragement to utter to the little girl about how everything is going to be okay, but even she is unsure of Seamlyn's future. Madge stomach twists painfully; she knew coming into this Seamlyn was bad. Everyone told her, uttering it quietly like it was a scandalous secret. She saw the looks the maids and butlers gave Gale when they passed him in the hallway, you could see their burning questions on the tip of their tongues. But no one dared to whisper a word of their curiosity to Gale. Not with the fragile state of his home.

Madge's maids had once asked if Gale was visiting Madge so often to escape the horrors of his home. She remembered being startled and shocked that someone would think his motives for being here would be something other than her. Now, looking around her at the haggard, exhausted citizens of Seamlyn, she knows she was sheltered from the worst of it. She can now understand her father's hesitance to help the broken country…There was no going back after this.

Madge's heart breaks at the thought of something more astronomical than this happening to Seamlyn. Although they are small, they are brave and loyal allies. Seamlyn works hard, every single citizen. And now what? In the times of their greatest need, no one steps up to help them? They are left broken and to be broken. And yet Seamlyn's spirit still blazes fiercely.

She understands the stress that lines Gale's shoulders every time he arrived. She now understands his hesitancy to speak about Seamlyn. She now understands the haunted look that never leaves Gale's eyes. It's all she sees here in Seamlyn. Everything is broken.

Movement catches Madge's eye, Giselle. She's nodding toward Gale, "When we are cleared to leave, whatever you do you need to get him to the castle. His parents are waiting there, you will have no trouble getting in." she's quiet for a moment, looking at Gale with great admiration in her eyes and…what looks to be… _love_ , "His place is there, even if he doesn't see it now." She reaches out and squeezes Gale's ankle lovely. She really is fond of her Prince. And yet, Madge feels the betrayal and mistrust rolling off the woman in waves. She's _losing_ them, Madge can't lose them. They can't afford the people's hatred and disloyalty.

Madge nods, a small tinkering laugh trickles out of her. It surprises even her, "What if he doesn't go along with it? What am I supposed to do? Drag him by his hair! I don't even know where the castle is."

Giselle smiles a real smile, laughing too, "Find the nearest guard, they'll help you." The two smile at one another. They might have smiled all night if it wasn't for the shuttering storm above them. Not again…

Round 2 has begun…

 _Boom…boom…boom…boom_

Will it ever end?

…

Throughout the first few waves of air raids, Arthur and James' eyes never leave Madge and Gale, especially Gale. Madge can't decide how she feels about the identical expression in the men's eyes, the way it gleams in a certain way that almost seems to scream danger, but then it doesn't. It was like a conundrum that only the pair could figure out, one that Madge would never be smart enough to unravel and display in front of her own two eyes. It was chilling, bone chilling. It was like dull sword blades against her skin.

She watches them just as intently as they watch her. One of them almost always has eyes on her and the other was on Gale. Clearly, they didn't trust the couple. But it felt like more than that. Not hatred, no, something…something Madge couldn't put her finger on. Something cold, mysterious, dark…murderous.

She tries to ignore it as she absentmindedly pulls Gale's tighter against her chest, like the small fraction he moved away was like a mile farther from danger. In reality, it was a mere fraction of an inch, something that not even the clearest of eyes would catch the difference. She knows she must be crazy, but she can swear Arthur and James seem to move the same amount of space too. It was unnerving, thinking that they could possibly be a danger. It wasn't like it wasn't clear to Madge or Gale that they were the least accepting of the pair, always silently questioning their existence and purposes.

The bombs go off again and Madge jumps. She shakes her head, chastising herself for being as silly as to assume Arthur or James made a move. Madge closes her eyes and breathes, tightening her grip on Gale again. Her breaths shutter in her chest like the windows on a really windy, stormy day back in Capitola. If only she was there now with the sun on her face and the beautiful knowledge that she was _safe_. Where the concept of time didn't consist by the numbers of bombs dropping as the seconds tick by, or where the more dangerous thing in her world was the fear of breaking one of her expensive heels. Here that wasn't the same. Time was measure by bombs, not the sun. Here the most dangerous thing was death, destruction, debris, and death. The 4 D's. Here was a warzone, not a dream cloud like her home.

Madge can imagine running around in the bright green forest by her home, or swimming in the ocean outside her window on a hot summer day. Where her biggest worry was managing to find an excuse as to why Gale _needed_ to take his shirt off. Or why they _had_ to kiss. She misses those days. How could her whole world change in such a short amount of time? It wasn't even two days and yet her world went from bright colors to dull black and white.

 _Boom…boom…boom…boom…boom…boom…boom…boom…boom_

Madge slowly, against her will, falls into a restless sleep.

…

The next day was the worst. Madge and Gale wouldn't know it, but it would be of the worst days of their lives.

They were released from the bunker the next afternoon. Madge woke up to Arthur and James grabbing Gale, making her heart race. They explained themselves, saying they were only waking them because they could leave. But their eyes…oh god, their eyes told her a different story.

Madge let it go.

She picks herself back up and straightens her clothing, brushing off any dust or dirt on her. She helps Gale heave himself up off the ground by interlinking their hands. He leans in and pecks her sweetly on the mouth, muttering a quiet good morning against them. She smiles, although forced, back at him, "Good morning, Gale. I'm glad you're alright." She whispers back, not looking him in the eyes. Instead she was looking at Arthur and James.

"Me too." He mutters, stretching his long arms above his head. Then he looks at what she's looking at and watches the older men wake up Giselle and the little brown haired girl. No matter what James was doing, he never takes his eyes off Madge's. She narrows hers at him and he gives her a smirk.

Giselle notices and slaps James' chest. "Stop." She mutters, "Don't, _don't_ , even think about it, James. You too Arthur!" she whispers fiercely at them. Madge has no clue what she was warning the men, but it clearly wasn't good.

"Shall we?" Gale asks, extending him dirty hand to her. She takes it.

"We're going to the castle. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Understood?" this time she narrows her eyes at Gale.

"Yes ma'am. I think it's about time we go back. This isn't anything else I can do here." Madge sighs in relief.

It takes them a lot longer to get out of the bunker than she expected. A lot of citizens come up to Gale to either gush or question. He smiles politely like any politician would and wishes them all a good morning, avoiding all questions as much as possible.

"Well, God bless you all safety!" Gale calls when it was their turn to go up the stairs. Madge was finally happy to be free. Until Arthur and James offer to help them back to the castle.

"Just to make sure everything goes alright. Extra protection."

"I think I know where my home is." Gale states firmly, narrowing his eyes.

"It's just…well, you're our friends now and friends protect each other." Arthur supplies steadily.

"He said no." Madge glares.

"Princess Madge, it would be in your best inter –"

"Fine." Gale snaps. Clearly he's not in a mood for this. Madge stomach drops but as they walk in the direction of the castle, she feels better. She even finds herself laughing and joking with James and playfully shoving Arthur around. It was like being with family. Everyone was comfortable around each other and everyone was light.

It was long way to the castle. Most of the roads they walked on were cobblestone and used to be brightly lit by gas lamps. Now the cobblestone was broken and the lights were blacken and blown out. Each step they took little puffs of gray dust smoke up, making the phrase Seam Gray surface again in Madge's mind. She hates to say it, but Seamlyn was dirty.

She intertwines her hand with Gale's. He looks down at her and smiles brightly, drawing her closer and throwing an arm around her shoulder. Leaning down, he whispers, "I have a bad feeling about these two."

Her eyes widen in response. So he feels it too. And as if someone flipped a light switch, the sky turned dark and a heavy downpour starts.

"Oh golly! It's raining!" Arthur cries, pulling his thin jacket over his head, not before throwing a glance at Gale.

"It's alright. It's just water." Gale says calmly. He shoots Madge another look, questioning her silently to see if she agrees. Before she can even nod yes, hands fly out and grab her. She screams and she sees James going for Gale.

Gale tries to fight but he was blindsided by James. Despite James nearing his sixties, he was inevitably strong for his age and overpowered Gale easily.

Lightning cracks and thunder roars in the background. Rain slide down their cheeks like tears and the dirty ground was slick under their feet. This day was miserable. Life in Seamlyn was miserable. And yet, the world just keeps beating them down.

Madge kicks and screams and bites Arthur, but his agonizingly strong grip never wavers. "No!" she screams, "No! What are you doing!" her voice is raw with fear. She watches Gale struggles and she watches as James pulls out a knife, shoving it deep into Gale's back. He falls to the ground screaming, his hand reaching back to press it against his wound. Arthur throws Madge to the ground into a deep puddle that shallows up half of her. Her knees hit the ground roughly as she cries out. Her hands sink into the mud puddle up the elbows. Her hair falls into her face, sticking to her.

Helplessly she watches Arthur assist James in gathering Gale off the ground. He was still fighting, but he was losing. She regrets ever wanting him to stop being the knight in shining armor. She tries to stand but slips against the mud again, landing face first into the mud. She cries out again in frustration.

"Madge!" he screams, "Madge! Go north; you'll start to see the tip of the castle in about a mile! Head there don't stop…"he screams as James stabs him again. It was so raw and heartbreaking Madge feels every fiber of her body ripping inside of her in pain that she's too numb to feel, "Madge! Madge…" it comes like a whisper to her, " _I love you_." It hits her.

"I love you too." She sobs. She really _does_ love him. And she doesn't even know if she'll see him ever again. Her heart breaks, shatters, explodes her in chest and it is the most excruciating pain she has ever felt. Nothing can compare to this. Nothing ever will. She loves him. _She_ loves him. She _loves_ him. She loves _him_. _She loves him._ There would be no one else, only _him_. And she was losing him too.

…

 _Love was a funny thing. It could start out slow. It could start out fast. It could hit you like a breeze on a spring day. It could hit you like a bullet to the heart._

 _Love was unpredictable._

* * *

 ** _A/N: chasingcarsaroundourheads,_ I've been meaning to get back to you and then I never do! I love that you were excited for this chapter and your utter disappointment and agony over the ending of the last chapter. Yeah, kind of a cliffhanger, lol. I hope this chapter makes up for all your expectations and the _loooong_ wait! A lot goes on in this chapter and I hope you like it!**

 **Same goes to everyone else! I love to hear your guys comments and thoughts! And sorry about the long wait!**

 **Shoutouts to** _chasingcarsaroundourheads, mylove4klaroline,_ **and** travelingstarship **for the follows, favs, and comments.**


	8. Chapter 8: Part 8

**Part 8**

Hands grip Gale from every angle. The night was dark and the heavy downpour isn't helping. He couldn't see _a thing_. Anxiety was quickly rising in his chest, making it impossibly tight. It was like air was on tab and he has reached the maximum amount he could without repayment. His lungs burned with vengeance, cursing him greatly for denying it its precious air. His heart was thudding in his chest in a quick, harsh _thump, thump, thump_ that was like a hammer against his ribs. His legs are constantly being twisted and thrown over one another clumsily like he was a toddler learning how to walk.

James and Arthur are, by no means, kind and gentle. They tug and rip and grab at Gale harshly, muttering obscurities under their breath every time he would fall to his knees again. Each time his knees would crack against the uneven, harshly obliterated pavement and a stinging pain would shoot up his entire body starting at his knees and working its way up. It would leave him breathless and gasping in pain and yet they continually pull him up by his collar and scream – spittle flying – in his face about how they have to _move_ and how they don't have _time_ for his petty attempts at stalling.

"Your little speech back there, about hope…" Arthur, who was mere centimeters from Gale's nose, couldn't hold in his laughter any longer. It was an odd, little weird man's laughter. Almost a little too high pitched and nasally to fit the body it belonged too, "It was such an _empowering_ speech, very well said. _Did your pathetic little daddy teach you that?_ "

Anger was rising like wildfire in his Gale's chest. So fast that it erupting into a tsunami that resonated in his fist. His knuckles crunch against Arthur's right cheekbone, his left hand stinging violently but he didn't dwell on it, he embraced it. It made him feel something other than anxiety and fright. And Arthur's expression is icing on the cake. The shock that overtook his facial expression and the red blossoming on his cheek like the sun bursting over the horizon made the owner stall, giving Gale precious seconds to try to escape. The only flaw in his plan: James.

James didn't wait or give Gale the chance to escape. Hell no, that definitely wasn't in the plans. Just out of the corner of his eye, he barely registers James' arms making a sweeping arch with something light brown in his hands. Before he could register the soaked wood, it's cracking down against the crown of his head. He screams, He screams so loud he's sure Madge can hear him wherever she might be. The attack hit him so hard his eyes water and sting from the dryness all the ash surrounding them has caused. His arms and legs go to jelly and give out, causing him to crumble like a house on fire. His already shortness of breath becomes absolutely no breath. His chest and mind are screaming at him to just suck in a large gust of air but all he can do is hyperventilate excessively. _Damn it!_

Even to him his breathing is loud and obnoxious. He couldn't see him, but he knows Arthur is looming over him menacingly. Gale tries several times to get up but his arms are failing him in his greatest time of need. Every lesson Finnick taught him, every maneuver and trick Finnick stressed at him for years was just gone, gone like a light in the darkness. He was powerless here on the cold, hard ground. He was nothing but the Prince that failed, the Prince that couldn't do anything but harm his people, the Prince that was worthless and couldn't even defend himself.

Arthur's lips were hot on his ear, growling out: "You worthless piece of shit! You think you can defeat me? Give up the hope you hold in your heart. It will bring you nothing but failure!" he growls out.

"Arthur!" James screams, "We don't have time for this! We need to get _our little Prince_ to the President."

Arthur laughs wickedly with that girly laugh of his that drives Gale crazy. "That's right, the President is waiting for you." he singsongs into Gale's ear, "But just for good measure, James, hand me the rope!" the rope is clearly old and fraying, it scratches against his wrist harshly, drawling blood immediately, "We don't want to keep him waiting, now do we?" he growls before tugging Gale up against and slamming into James' chest.

"Let's go, _my Prince_."

Gale says nothing. What would he say anyways? Please let me go? Not a chance.

But who, who was this man they called President? Clearly he was the man causing all this damage, all this destruction, but who was the face called President? This man has to be the center of Gale's world, the answer to the unspoken question. If Gale can defeat this man, doesn't that mean he can save Seamlyn? But what if this man wasn't who Gale thought he was? What if he lives in Seamlyn and has no want or need to destroy Seamlyn, but something else? But what would he want?

The downpour only seems to become heavier now that all the chaos was clearing. Gale blinks the rainwater out of his eyes to clear his vision. He focuses on the sight in front of him. A house. Somehow this house seems to found a way to stand tall against all the bombs…unless it was meant to be missed…

Both men shove Gale into the house through the slightly jarred door. And at the last second, Gale's hearing clears and in the faint distance he hears screaming. They're still too far away from him to be able to make out what they screaming, but something inside of him told him that they were looking for him. Everything was going to fine, but maybe it wasn't.

If he could scream he would, but his voice was too hoarse from the day's events that his throat constrict just at the thought of speaking, let alone screaming for help. He glances over his shoulders, his wet hair falling into his eyes, looking out to what might be the last scene of the outside world. Who knows what will happen inside the only house that stands within miles.

James releases Gale's arm momentarily to shut the door softly behind him. He makes sure the door goes back the way it was, slightly crooked but still in its frame. This wasn't the first time these men have been here.

"Let's go." James says gruffly, but no louder than a whisper the whipping wind could cover up.

They lead him up the broken stairs.

* * *

The downpour feels as thick as mud to Madge, but maybe that was because she still lies helplessly in the mud puddle, watching the three boys disappear with the horizon. She can feel her heart breaking, no shattering, in her chest, but something was holding her back from getting up, out of the mud and it's not just because Arthur's eyes are glued Madge's. Clearly, he was making sure Madge didn't follow them, Making sure that even if she tried, they'd be too far ahead of her to find them or know what direction they were heading.

Madge screams out a whine, strangled and coarse. She bows her body – arching her back – over herself, resting her forehead on her knees and grips her hair with such an intensity it's beginning to give her a headache from the sheer force of her fingers. _Why does this always seem to be happening? I get him back and then he's gone again?_

She can feel her energy draining from her body. Tiredness is starting to seep into her body and she finds herself not having the will to follow them. But she knows she must, it's what she has to do. She moves her knee up so her weight shifts to her foot.

A hand comes down on her shoulder, looking back over her shoulder she sees it's Giselle, "Back for more?" she spits out.

"No, I'm here to warm you about them!" she practically yells at Madge in frustration. She grips Madge's shoulder tighter to enforce her point. Her eyes are as hard as rocks when she says, " _Don't_ follow them. Go straight to the castle. The longer you don't look for him, the longer the he will live. If you show up, they'll kill him." And she wasn't kidding. It startles Madge.

"What? You're insane!" she laughs, the nerves bubbling up in her stomach, her fingers losing all feeling, turning ice cold. Her breathing hitches at the simple thought of Gale dying. She closes her eyes for a short moment, holding her breath to control her thoughts and the short bursts of anger flaring up in her, "Why should I believe you anyways?" she growls. Madge has never been so _mad_ at someone before. Then again, she has never had a real reason to _be_ this mad before. But she finds that it's wrapping around her skin like clothes and taking ahold of her thoughts. She feels her heart start racing in her chest and red cover her vision.

She almost feels like baring her teeth at the woman, the traitor, but she doesn't.

"Just trust me!"

Madge's eyes widen. Giselle's voice is rough with a bit of insanity lancing the outside of it. Both women's chests are heaving at the intensity of the situation. Madge bores her eyes into Giselle's, wanting so badly to believe her. But how can she? Giselle _knew_ Gale was in danger and yet still didn't warn Madge or Gale. She _knew_ Arthur and James were planning to kidnap Gale and yet she still didn't utter a word of warning to Madge or Gale.

"They're going to kill him whether I go after him or not!" Madge yells, pushing herself off the ground and shoving Giselle. Surprisingly, the woman is pretty stable and remains standing on her feet.

"No! Madge," she doesn't even bother with titles and Madge can't seem to find the time to correct her, "Their goal isn't to _kill_ him. Not even close! Their goal is to bring him to the President as an offering. Arthur and James make money; the President has a weapon against Seamlyn. Gale is in no physical harm," Madge scoffs, "Well, he may receive a beating or two, but nothing that he can't survive.

"The thing is, Madge, the President – the person causing all this destruction – wants to use Gale as a tool against King Marcus and Queen Hazelle. He thinks Gale is the key to winning, an easy defeat."

"Then why hasn't _the President_ taken Gale earlier? Why now!?" she yells, her fist balling into fists.

Giselle rolls her eyes, "You've clearly been left in the dark." Madge says nothing, "Listen to me and listen good, Prince Gale has been _hidden_ …in Capitola for _months_. His parents have disguised it to the public. They _urged_ him to go and meet with you, get to know you to _protect him_. It's not like it isn't known that Gale is a person of interest. He's in far more danger than any of us here. They – the King and Queen – "

"Wait, so our relationship is fake? He…Gale…He _faked_ it?" tears sting Madge's eyes and Giselle's face softens. "This entire time, all the _time_ we've spent together _meant nothing to him?_ "

"Madge, no, that's not true!"

"But you just said!" she screams again. God, that's all she seems to be doing lately. A Princess doesn't scream.

Giselle grabs Madge's face with her calloused hands, " _No_ ," she stresses, " _He_ didn't know. They kept all this hidden from Gale. Ignorance is bliss, as the saying goes." Giselle's eye hold nothing but the truth, Madge can feel it seeping into her bones like a calming presence of the ocean outside her window back at home.

"Wait…"

"He didn't know sweetie, he loves you. You can tell he didn't know they were trying to hide him." Her voice is urgent and her eyes are pleading. She's not going to leave Madge thinking she was never loved.

"My father…"

"It was your father's plan. King Undersee advised that they host a meeting between the two of you so they could disguise the true meaning to Gale. King Hawthorne wanted to keep Gale in the dark and your father offered protection."

"But Gale left, he went home."

"Of course, through secret tunnels and such," she says nonchalantly, "Why do you think Finnick was assigned Gale? Not because they've been training for years together, but because he's in – "

"In special intelligence…and…you…you…you –"she trails off.

"Are in special intelligence too? Yes." She spreads her hands out wide, a slight smirk gracing her older features.

Madge's voice shakes when she utters she next words, causing her voice to drop to a whisper, "Then how do you know Arthur and James?" she's shaking like a leaf. Her chest tightens in fear and she gets that feeling again, the one that feels like she can't breathe and yet has the same depths of the ocean of air at her supply. It's incredibly nerve wracking and _annoying_. She needs to break the chains restraining her and…and… she doesn't know what she's going to do!

She just so sick of this! So sick of _all of this!_ Why can't the world just be nice to her? Why can't there be peace and serenity? Why can't _anything_ be _easy_!?

God, she feels like screaming and ripping her hair out and just giving up. But she can't. She _is_ a Princess and Princesses _do not_ give up. Princesses are trained to be future Queens whether they have the chance of that opportunity or not. Princesses are trained to rule, not be ruled. Princesses are trained to be hold their heads high even in times where all they feel is sadness, despair, and loss. Madge Undersee is Princess Margret Undersee and she is a true Princess.

So she looks Giselle straight in the eye and waits, jaw clenched and eyes on fire, for Giselle to answer.

"I was told to watch them. Queen Hazelle, despite many citizens hesitancy to believe, isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. She caught them, well not exactly "caught" them, but found them a small breach in security. She pursued it without anyone in intelligence's knowledge. The only person who knew about her secret mission was her husband, the King. Once it became out of her line of work, she personally choose a small group of us to continue to pursue her mission. Who knows what would have happened to her if she continued. If _anyone_ on their side found out Hazelle was suspicious of something, we'd all be dead…starting with Gale."

"And how do I know you aren't stall for them? Holding me back, spilling some useless lies until they are too far for me to track?"

"Mmm," she nods in approval, "You'd be great for this line of work, quick on your feet and trust issues." She nods again, "Hazelle always thought Gale would be excellent at this too." She says quietly. She pulls something small out of her pocket and presses it into Madge's hand. There was something hard wrapped in linen.

Madge looks down.

"Hazelle says you understand."

Madge glances down again at the white linen in her hands. Whatever is under the cloth is tiny and circular.

It was a coin. One side had Seamlyn's coat of arms. The other side had Capitola's coat of arms. Madge's eyebrows furrow together. _What could this possibly mean? Why would Hazelle think I would understand this?_

And then it clicks.

* * *

The stairs creak under Gale's feet. With each step he takes he finds himself holding his breathing, waiting for the floor to fall through. It wouldn't be the worst thing that happened today…

"We'll stay here for the night, get out of the downpour." James mutters under his breath. Exhaustion was evident in his voice. Arthur looks over at them, ignoring Gale's presence all together, with a look of concern etched in his face.

"You okay, James?" He nods and tightens the rope against Gale's risk. Gale grunts in pain, the rough edges of the rope catches his broken skin. A flare of bright pain lights up his wrist. "Get him prepared and then I'll take first watch."

Yawning, "Sounds like a plan, Arthur."

James leads Gale out of the room again to the one adjacent from it. He kicks open the door and shoves Gale a little too harshly through it. Gale lands on his knees for what has to be the millionth time today. He slumps forward, allowing his warm forehead to rest against the coolness of the dusty, grimy floor. He groans loudly, letting his body relax for once.

Just as he's getting comfortable in his awkward position, James kicks him hard in the rib. Of course, like it's been all day, his breath is knocked out of him and pain flares up again. When will he finally be able to breathe properly and regain control of his life again? It seems like never, like if he was looking out at the horizons of his future, it was visible yet. He still had to keep walking, extending his horizon another mile or so to see it. Right now, it seems impossibly far. Right now, he doesn't even know if he _wants_ to walk that extra mile to see what's in store.

You know what he really wants? Madge. That's what he wants. He wants to go back to their first meeting. He wants to shove her against the wall and take _her_ breath away. He wants to feel her delicate body under his fingertips and her feather soft lips sliding with ease against his own. He wants to be able to hold her in his arms without worrying if it will be the last time he would ever be able too.

You know what he really, _really_ wants? He wants to mutter 'I love you' against every inch of her skin. He wants her to _feel_ it, to _believe_ it, to _live_ it.

James picks him like a small child and walks him over to the small animal cage hidden in the dark and damp corner. Yup, this definitely isn't a coincidence. Gale thinks about fighting it, but the safest thing for him to do now is wait this out. Strategize later, sleep and restore strength now.

If he really, _really_ wants to tell Madge he loves her _for real_ this time, he needs to do but they want. He needs to live. For her.

* * *

 **A/N: Part 8 is kind of boring, but it establishes some major things and hints at some future chapters. I'd say there was some good plot development here, but what do I know! lol**

 **Thanks to DamnDonnerGirls for the comment and forever making my day! I'm still smiling and it really made we want to write and happy dance at the same time. I opted for writing Part 8 after I read it!**

 **Comments really do make writers write! Thanks so much for the support and hope you're all enjoying it so far!**


	9. Chapter 9: Part 9

**Part 9**

 **A/N: I haven't updated in FOREVER. It feels good to be back. I can't guarantee that I will update regularly I was for a while. School is a lot right now. Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Giselle leads the way to the castle. The dirt roads puff up brown dust as they quickly maneuver their way through the debris. The sky was a dirty gray color and the stormy clouds are moving fast across the sky like a shooting star, if shooting stars were gray and cloudy. Giselle glances up toward the sky a lot, causing Madge to have a feeling of unsteadiness fill her stomach. She finds herself looking up at the gray clouds, wondering if a bomber jet will swoop down and rain bombs on her and Giselle like clouds do rain water. So far, so good, but that doesn't settle the anxious nerves rising like maverick waves in her stomach.

At that thought, a flash of the ocean out of her window in Capitola snapshots it ways past her eyes. The murky black waves crashing against the bank her home sat on during a heavy storm was all she could see. Just like her stomach, the waves tested the foundation it crashed upon.

She gulps, tightens her hand on Giselle's cold on, and _keeps moving_. There's nothing else to do but move. Standing still will do nothing but let valuable time pass and bomber jets to spot her. So she moves, she moves faster than she ever has because if there's one thing she knows it's that Gale Hawthorne is worth the pain in her legs and lungs, the worry clenching her heart, and the drive to upturn everything in her path to find him.

Oh god, she hopes Hazelle has a plan because she doesn't even know where to begin.

"This way, Madge!" Giselle yells over the thunder booming over their heads. The skies become even darker and the night is slowly seeping in in a slow, creeping crawl across the sky. The feeling in Madge's stomach tightens, but she follows Giselle in between the two grimy buildings.

Madge has to stop and gasp, stopping short. In front of her lays a beautiful caste, the center of its kingdom. The castle's main building rises up with four corner towers and gorgeous blocky arches connecting the four towers. There is a triangular roof adorning the main part of the castle. Attacked to each side of the building, about halfway up, were connecting hallways made of a beautiful tan stone, Seamlyn's coat of arms is etched into each one in red, with windows lining the hallways. From there on was larger building that made up the outside, surrounding the main building, probably a half a mile out from the main building on all sides. Each one had a gallery built into it with extremely small windows just big enough to point your eye and a gun out. Madge realizes this is where the military hides during watch to keep the grounds safe. Each one of the walls connects in a turret that shines in the gray weather, sparkling stones glittering off in every direction. The East wall circles out into a gorge tower, facing them. Back inside the territory, a spiral tower swirls its way in white stone, a glistening golden cross embellishing the peak of the roof – the chapel. And finally, the keep – a place to keep refugees during a last resort situation. Madge had been wondering where they were keeping all these refugees. The keep was the tallest building inside the castle's walls, and by far the oldest. It was the first part of the castle, built around it as if it was holy ground.

To say in the least, the castle was by far gorgeous. And, as much as she hates to admit it, by far the best piece of architecture in Seamlyn. She can see why Gale loves his home, despite the fact that it's in so much despair.

Giselle looks back at Madge and smiles at the look of wonderment on Madge's face. It was like her face relaxed and her eyes sparkle even more and her lips twisting up into a gentle smile that lite up her whole face. Madge definitely was a beautiful girl, all radiance and sunshine against the Prince, who was all dark and stormy. They balance each other, she decides, and in a good way like no other pair can. She squeezes the Princess' hand tightly and tugs her forward toward the entrance.

The guards lining the gate eye the pair suspiciously. Madge can't even begin to imagine what she looks like. Grimy? Dirty? Just plain disgusting and unrecognizable? Probably. Absentmindedly, she raising her hand to wipe away some of the dirt under her eyes. She notices the guards eyes follow Giselle, they must feel a sense of familiarity about her because none of them raise their gun at her. Giselle releases Madge's hands and approaches the men with hand raised to her chest.

"Giselle?" one whispers. Giselle says nothing, just raises an eyebrow and gestures to the gate.

After a moment of silence and all the guards standing as still statues, Giselle says in a demanding voice, "Well, are you just going to stand there all day and keep Queen Hazelle waiting? She's expecting my arrival and I'm sure she doesn't want the Princess of Capitola looking so ailed and dirty." That seems to get them moving, four men on each door line the gate's entrance and tugs, muscles straining, to pull open the unlocked gate. Giselle and Madge slip through the cracks, making it easier for them to close it.

Madge is about halfway up the cobblestone walkway when she hears the definite sound of the gate closing. It rattles the ground and her bones. Her ears ring and her heart skip a beat. At least she knows the castle walls are safe.

"This way, Madge." Giselle murmurs.

"Alright, I'm coming." Two more guards lining the front door open it for them. Madge about faints at the sight of the man in front of her, her heart beating wildly at a familiar face and she can't quite believe her eyes. "Finnick?"

The broad man spins on her heels, his uniform freshly pressed and a sword dangles from his slim hips, his hands on the hilt.

"Madge." He nods formally at her, although his green eyes do shine with mischief and relief.

"What are you doing here!?" she starts to walk to him; her hands outstretch to make sure he was real. He is.

"Well what did you expect of me? To lounge outside on a raft in the ocean outside your home when my Prince is MIA?" he laughs a little and draws her in for a quick hug. "I don't suppose he is with you, is he?" he whispers lowly in her ear, so low she's sure only she can hear him. She nods sadly and Finnick curses. "I'm sorry, my lady, I did not mean to curse in front of you."

"It's okay," she pulls back a little to wink at him, "I hear it from Gale more than you think."

He shakes his head in a friendly gesture, "Does that boy not know how to be a gentleman?" Madge laughs and shakes her head. It feels _good_ to laugh. These past couple of days has been so serious and life threatening that it feels good to be able to enjoy a moment. It almost makes her feel like she's home, where it's safe and no danger lurks outside her window.

"I'm sorry," Madge says, bringing her hand to rest on Finnick's warm chest. She traces her fingers along the wet spot on his uniform from her soaking wet body, "about your uniform."

"Don't worry, my lady, it's not like I can't get another one. I have hundreds of them." He winks.

"I bet you do." she whispers, staring at her own fingers as they trace over the spot.

A beautiful woman descends the staircase in everyday clothing, a loose dress that is wrinkled, making Madge wonder if she slept in it, and her hair tied up behind her head. She looks powerful, even from here. And she most definitely was Gale's mother. They look so alike, even the exact shape of their noses was the same. Did she really pay that much attention to Gale's nose that she knows he shares it with mother without even looking at his and comparing?

She smiles weakly at her. "Princess Margret."

"Madge," she says immediately.

Hazelle nods back at her softly, "Madge." She smiles again, but this time up close Madge can detect the exhaustion in it. Hazelle leans in closer to her and Finnick moves out of the way, "I suppose they got to him, didn't they?" she whispers so lowly Madge can barely hear her. Tears spring to Madge's eyes and her lips form into a water line as she nods yes. Hazelle takes the smallest step backwards and her sucks in a hurried, painfully breathe, "We mustn't tell the children. They will be devastated." Sorrow lurks in the depths of Hazelle's eyes and Madge's heart sinks in her chest.

She failed Hazelle. She failed the woman she just met. She failed Finnick. She failed herself. Most importantly, she failed Gale. Tears slide down her cheeks before she can stop them. Angrily she wipes them away with the side of her hand, wishing against hope that she didn't look as pathetic as she feels. Instantly, Hazelle pulls Madge gently to her, wrapping the girl tightly in her arms. Hazelle wishes she could rid this young girl's burden away, but she can't even rid herself of the horrors this world has to offer.

"It will be okay, Madge. Gale is strong." She whispers into Madge's ear. "I'm working on saving him, but I need your help." She strokes Madge's wet, dirty hands and pulls her even closer to her. She's not going to let anyone hurt her. Gale would kill her if she did.

Madge lets out a shaky breath, making ugly crying sounds as she goes, "I love him." Hazelle's heart cracks. "I _love_ him. I love _him_." Madge repeats over and over again until she runs out of breath. She knew she loved him before, but now…now she knows what being _in love_ with someone meant, what it feels like, what it is. She feels like she can't breathe with him, like he held all the oxygen in the world and she couldn't tap into it. It feels like she's floating when he's near and drowning when he's not. He was everything. The sun, the moon, the earth, her heart, her life, _hers…_

And now he was gone.

Just like that. He was gone.

Every bone in her body feels broken and her lungs deflated. Her entire body aches with an unbearable pain that cannot be extinguished. Everything condenses. Without him here, nothing meant anything. The world moves at an impossibly slow peak and everything heightens – pain, love, anxiety.

The world was bleak without him.

She wonders how she ever slept in a bed without him. She wonders how she filled her time without him. She wonders how she ever said she loved something before she loved him. She wonders what she will do if he dies…

"I love him." She sobs into Hazelle's shoulders. Oh god, what Hazelle must feel? Her son is gone.

"I know… I know." She whispers heartbroken and pulls Madge even closer. Tears slide down Hazelle's cheeks. Crushing Madge's body to her own, Hazelle whispers, "I love him too."

…

Hazelle called upon the few servants the Hawthorne's had to take Madge to Gale's room. And honestly, Madge couldn't be more thankful for anything more in her life. His room was just as she thought it would be. It was dark green in color with millions of photographs on the walls and a bow hanging on the wall by the door. The room was small but spacious. His bed was situated in the corner of the room with a desk parallel to it, stacked high with books and cameras. His closet was off to the right of the door, the door set ajar in its frame. His minimal amounts of clothing was color coded and straighten to perfection. The other side of the walk in closet stored his suits. Even looking at them, Madge knew they weren't Gale, just a mask he put on because he had too.

As the servant readied a warm bath for her, she wonders through his closet. She selects a plaid, light blue flannel and a pair of pajama pants. She lays them out on the bed and curls up against his pillows. Even though he hasn't been here in a while, his items still smell like him and Madge can pretend for just a moment that he is here.

She doesn't know how long she lays there until the servant fetches her, but she feel a part of her leaves itself on the bed as she goes to the bed. She strips down to nothing slowly, watching as her bruised and cold body slowly reveals itself in the mirror. She idly wonders what Gale would think of her now, all bruised and broken. Somehow…she knows he'd love her even more than he did yesterday.

She sinks into the warm bath water and revels in the warmth it provides. She feels like she's been walking in snow for day. The suds from the bubble bath tickle her chin and she smiles a little, remembering all the time her and Gale shared a bath. His hands would wonder mindlessly across her stomach and inner thighs and he left a trial of kisses her neck and into her hair. She would lean back against him and whine her arms around his neck. Those times were blissful. Oh how she misses them.

If she thinks hard enough, he's here with his wondering hands and sweet kisses. She can feel his warm skin against hers. He was always warmer than the water surrounding them. She can feel the hard lines of his muscles pressing into her skin.

She keeps her eyes closed. Just one more moment, that's all she ask for before the moment shatters.

…

The next morning, the sun peeks into through the open window. A light breeze blows through, rustling the covers. She curls more into the bed and Gale's shirt and briefly closes her eyes for another moment. The bed feels uneven and it's as startling as it was last night when she cried herself to sleep because he wasn't there. She ignores it for now and takes a huge whiff of him just as the servant walks in.

"Ma'am, sorry to bother your sleep, but Queen Hazelle wants you immediately." Madge instantly becomes alert, spring out of bed with a newfound vigor. She doesn't even bother changing her clothes.

Hazelle smirks when she sees Madge in her son's clothing. Her hair is a mess and her eyes a vibrantly alert. She looks comfortable in his clothing, like it is the most natural thing in the world. It probably didn't even occur to her that any other day what her outfit would suggest to Hazelle Hawthorne.

"Did you sleep well?" Hazelle begins, handing Madge a cup of warm tea. Madge takes a sip and smiles into the tea cup. Hazelle knew she would. It was Gale's favorite – peppermint.

"Considering the circumstances, well I would suppose."

Hazelle nods, "Good," after a moment, "Do you have the coin Giselle gave you?" How could she not, she hasn't let it out of her sight since Giselle gave it to her. She produces it in front of Hazelle, offering it to her, but Hazelle doesn't take it. Instead, "Do you know what it means?" she asks.

"The Embassy."

"That's right. Do you know what that means?"

"There's hiding Gale in the Embassy in the room where Capitola's and Seamlyn's seal combine."

Hazelle nods again. "That's correct."

"I don't understand."

Hazelle pauses for a moment before speaking again. She looks at the young girl in front of her and reconsiders what she's about to tell Madge. "Do you know how I got that coin?" Madge shakes head no, "It was sent in the mail addressed to my husband and I. It was the first of many letters, but only one coin ever came. I suspected I would get the rest of the coins, but I never did. Then Gale started getting stuff in the mail, weird things like little figurines and letters that would only say his name, a different handwriting each time. Then one came soaked and stained in blood with his name crossed off on it. That's when I realize Gale was in danger. I had suspected it for a while, so I kept Gale as close to me as possible. But that last letter was the last straw. So I arranged to send him to Capitola, staged the whole thing with your father's help, and kept Gale blind to it all.

"Then, I began to research things. I found what the coin represented and I gather an Intelligence Team." She looks at Madge hard before continuing, "Madge, we don't know who out to get him, but we know where they are taking him. They got there chance now."

"They expect you to come after them." Madge finishes and Hazelle nods.

"I need my son back," she says gravely.

"I need my future husband back." Madge agrees. "So what do we do?"

Hazelle closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath, holding it for a moment before releasing. Her fingers rub the necklace around her neck worriedly. She wonders if she's doing the right thing, if she should have just kept Madge out of the whole thing. But like she said to Madge…she needs her son back.

"I need you go to the Embassy and get him."

* * *

 **A/N: What did you guys think?**

 **Shoutouts to: damndonnergirls (love you to pieces), Indiana1985, bookloverforevah18, infinitegraces, Estruck (thanks for the comment yesterday, it was a lovely surprise and a great reminder that I hadn't update the story yet)**


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